Ohtani ‘unlikely’ to pitch in Dodgers’ Japan series
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Alden Gonzalez, ESPN Staff Writer
DALLAS — Shohei Ohtani is expected to be ready to hit when the Los Angeles Dodgers open their season in Japan next March, but it’s “very unlikely” he will also pitch in those games, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
Given the context — coming off surgery to his non-throwing shoulder, on the heels of spending an entire year rehabbing another repair of his ulnar collateral ligament, and the fact that the Dodgers will begin their season in unconventional fashion — the thought of Ohtani pitching in his home country was long seen as unlikely.
“I just don’t see us starting the clock in March to then think that we would keep that continuously going through October,” Roberts said on Day 1 of the Winter Meetings on Monday. “Then that would call for a break or reprieve in the middle of the season.”
The Dodgers are slated for two games against the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo on March 18 and 19, then fly back to the United States and wait another week before restarting their regular season. Ohtani has been playing catch from about 60 feet, but the Dodgers are expected to move him through his throwing program methodically.
Ohtani, who recently had surgery to repair the torn labrum he sustained in his left shoulder during the World Series, has yet to start swinging a bat. But getting ready to hit in a major league game requires far less buildup.
“What we feel like is most important is that he is ready to pitch at his highest level when the games matter the most,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said. “Early-season games are very important, but we feel like if we can get him to a position where he is peaking towards the end of the season, that is the ideal scenario.”
Despite signing two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell to a five-year, $182 million contract, agreeing to terms on a one-year, $17 million deal with corner outfielder Michael Conforto and bringing Blake Treinen back for $22 million over two years, the reigning-champion Dodgers still have moves to make.
They still seek more back-end bullpen help, are expected to be among the most aggressive suitors for Roki Sasaki, will at some point bring back Clayton Kershaw and should stay engaged — to some degree, at least — with fan favorite Teoscar Hernandez.
One position they won’t look to fill is shortstop, which, apparently, will be handled by Mookie Betts.
“Mookie’s preparing as a shortstop,” Gomes said. “He’s ready for the challenge.”
Betts has long believed transitioning from right field to the middle infield would be easier on his body and allow him to age better into his 30s. The Dodgers began last season with Betts as their everyday second baseman, then moved him to shortstop when Gavin Lux‘s throwing issues reemerged.
Betts then sat out two months because of a broken left wrist. By the time he returned, Miguel Rojas, the best defensive shortstop on the roster, was swinging a hot bat and Lux’s second-base production had picked up. Betts went back to right field — with the expectation the team would revisit a return to the infield after the playoffs.
Betts has been training as a shortstop since the start of the offseason and the Dodgers are hoping to not move him around during the season.
Asked if it’s still possible he transitions to second base before the start of spring training, opening up the possibility for other moves, Gomes said: “Our plan right now is for Mookie to prepare as a shortstop.”
Betts at shortstop means Lux would remain the everyday second baseman — and thus not be traded — and Tommy Edman would basically be the everyday center fielder. Conforto, a left-handed hitter who produced well against left-handed pitching last season, is expected to be an everyday player. The Dodgers have Andy Pages for the other outfield corner, though it’s still possible they agree to a deal with Hernandez.
Betts, 32, won six Gold Gloves in right field. His goal is to win a seventh at shortstop — while making the type of midcareer transition that is almost unprecedented in the game’s history, especially for a Hall of Fame-caliber player. Betts practically learned shortstop on the fly last season, putting in hours of live fungoes on an almost-everyday basis in an attempt to simulate as many in-game situations as possible.
He wound up making nine errors in 73 starts at the position. Eight of them were the result of errant throws.
“If you look at all of the most challenging parts of the position, he does really well,” Gomes said. “And where he struggled was throwing. You go watch him in right field, it’s one of the best arms in the game. It’s incredibly accurate. So those things that are most challenging to teach — getting off the ball, range, making exceptional plays, his pre-pitch timing — he nailed those.
“It was really syncing up his throw from that, because he’s been so used to the outfield throw. So I think that will be the majority of his work is how does he access what is an elite arm and have that translate to the infield.”
LOS ANGELES — Veteran forward Evander Kane made his season debut for the Edmonton Oilers in Game 2 of their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series with the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night.
Defenseman John Klingberg also returned from a lengthy injury absence as the Oilers attempted to even the series.
Kane is a 15-year NHL veteran who hasn’t played for the Oilers since Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final last June. He had surgery last September to repair a sports hernia, and he underwent knee surgery in January.
Kane was slotted on to the Oilers’ second line alongside Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman.
Klingberg hasn’t played since suffering a lower-body injury while blocking a shot March 27 in Seattle. The Swedish veteran signed with Edmonton in January after going unsigned early in the season, but he played in only 11 games while dealing with multiple injuries.
The Oilers are hoping Klingberg can help their blue line, which frequently struggled in the Kings’ 6-5 victory in Game 1.
Jeff Skinner was scratched by the Oilers to make room for Kane. The 15-year NHL veteran forward made his Stanley Cup playoff debut in Game 1, recording an assist.
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Ryan S. Clark
Chris Drury and the New York Rangers agreed to a multiyear contract extension on Wednesday, keeping him at the helm of the team’s hockey operations after missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2020-21 season.
“I am pleased that Chris will continue to lead the Rangers hockey operations in his role as president and general manager,” Madison Square Garden chairman and CEO James Dolan said in a statement. “Over his tenure, Chris has shown passion for the Rangers, relentless work ethic and a tireless pursuit of excellence.
“While we are all disappointed in what transpired this past season, I am confident in his ability to guide this organization to success.”
Drury, 48, took over as general manager and president of hockey operations at the start of the 2021-22 season. The Rangers reached the playoffs in his first three seasons.
His future was one of a few items that remained in question, with the intent that the Rangers would use this offseason to reload in their bid to return to the playoffs. The team also is facing a third coaching search in four seasons after firing Peter Laviolette following his two seasons.
“I am honored to sign this contract extension and continue in this position with the team I grew up supporting,” said Drury, a former Rangers captain who played four seasons with the team. “As I said when I began in this role nearly four years ago, there isn’t a more special organization in hockey, and I look forward to continuing our work this offseason to help us reach our goals for next season and in the coming years.”
After winning the Presidents’ Trophy and reaching the Eastern Conference finals under Laviolette in the 2023-24 season, the Rangers started 12-4-1 this season, only to lose the next five games. That started a chain reaction of inconsistent play that ultimately led to the Rangers finishing six points out of the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot.
While the Rangers sought to make the playoffs, Drury also made it known they were open for business in December. That’s when they traded captain Jacob Trouba, who still had a year left on his contract, to the Anaheim Ducks. A few weeks later, they traded Kaapo Kakko, the No. 2 pick in the 2019 NHL draft, to the Seattle Kraken for defenseman Will Borgen, who would then sign an extension with the Rangers.
A month before the trade deadline, the Rangers reacquired J.T. Miller in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks. The Rangers also traded defenseman Ryan Lindgren to the Colorado Avalanche and forward Reilly Smith to the Vegas Golden Knights while adding defensemen Carson Soucy in a separate deal with the Canucks.
Still, the Rangers lost four consecutive games in early March before having two three-game losing streaks that further damaged their chances in the Eastern Conference wild-card race.
Now that Drury has a new contract, he’ll be charged with trying to improve a roster that PuckPedia projects will have only $9.67 million in available cap space. K’Andre Miller, Zac Jones and Matt Rempe are part of the club’s eight-player restricted free agent class, while the Rangers have only two unrestricted free agents in Nicolas Aube-Kubel and Calvin de Haan.
Drury will be looking for a coach in what is expected to be a competitive market. Anaheim and Seattle also fired their coaches, and three other teams — Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia — ended the season with interim coaches. The Canucks declined the option on coach Rick Tocchet, but they have offered him a new, more lucrative contract.
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