Dodgers’ Ohtani gearing up for return to mound
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Alden Gonzalez
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Shohei Ohtani‘s sweeper made its first appearance of the year during the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ first official workout of spring training Wednesday.
It was off flat ground, at nowhere close to full intensity, but it stood as the latest sign that Ohtani’s return to pitching — and, thus, a two-way role — is approaching.
Ohtani will throw his first traditional bullpen session at some point this weekend, he said, at which point he will begin the process of preparing to join the Dodgers’ star-studded rotation by May, if not sooner.
Asked how he’ll juggle hitting and pitching again, Ohtani said he wanted to “play as much as possible, as many games as possible.”
“But if the team feels like I should get a break,” Ohtani added through an interpreter, “I’ll follow that.”
The Los Angeles Angels essentially let Ohtani dictate his schedule while hitting and pitching from 2021 to 2023, paving the way for an unprecedented three-year stretch consisting of two unanimous MVP awards and a runner-up finish. The Dodgers might ultimately give Ohtani similar leeway, most notably by allowing him to hit on the days when he pitches. But they are being noticeably cautious on the front end in hopes of making sure he’s as fresh as possible down the stretch.
Ohtani wasn’t expected to pitch in any Cactus League games, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, adding that he also doesn’t want to see him attempting stolen bases during spring training. Given his importance to the lineup, the Dodgers probably will stage simulated games in April that will allow Ohtani to face hitters in game-like environments without having to send him out on a rehab assignment. Once he joins the rotation, Ohtani will be among six starters, which will basically have him starting once a week.
Roberts also anticipated Ohtani taking more days off as a designated hitter this year, and the widely held belief is that he would take a step back from running after his 59-steal season in 2024 — but that was still to be determined.
“We haven’t gotten there yet as far as what he’s comfortable with, what he feels good about,” Roberts said. “I’m looking forward to those conversations, but it’s obviously going to be a little more complex than it was last year.”
At the moment, Ohtani has his mind set on being the Dodgers’ DH when they open their season in his native Japan for a two-game series against the Chicago Cubs on March 18 and 19. Ohtani said his surgically repaired left shoulder, which sustained a torn labrum during the World Series, has been giving him “some discomfort” but that it is “not really debilitating.”
“Just a limited range of motion,” Ohtani added. “I’ve gone through it with the elbow before, and with the shoulder it’s a little bit more complicated. I do believe that’s the part that I have to be patient.”
As a group, the Dodgers don’t have much time for patience. They’ll open their season nine days before 28 other teams and are already working to get their pitchers ready for it. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, one of Japan’s most celebrated starters, is on track to begin the season opener at the Tokyo Dome. Roki Sasaki, yet another celebrated Japanese ace, is on track to start the second game, though the Dodgers first want to see how the 23-year-old right-hander assimilates to his first experience in the United States.
“Having this opportunity to open the season in Japan with a major league team is really special,” said Sasaki, the highly touted pitching phenom who chose to join the Dodgers last month. “I just want to make sure that I’m prepared to be ready for that.”
Sasaki was among the pitchers who threw bullpen sessions in the backfields of Camelback Ranch on Wednesday. Dozens of photographers, camera operators and reporters lined one side of the field; a slew of Dodgers coaches and executives — and Clayton Kershaw, who’s still rehabbing offseason foot and knee surgeries — watched from behind.
Sasaki admitted that he felt “some nerves” and that his body “maybe wasn’t moving the way that I was expecting it to.” But Austin Barnes, who crouched behind home plate, was impressed with the ride on his fastball and the movement of his splitter.
“I haven’t really seen a pitch like that before,” said Barnes, the longtime backup catcher who faced Sasaki while playing for Team Mexico during the 2023 World Baseball Classic. “It’s different than Yamamoto’s. It’s good. It’s hard to catch sometimes. It’s moving all over the place.”
Sasaki’s first taste of the major leagues will begin without any artificial limitations, even though he combined for only 210 innings with the Chiba Lotte Marines from 2023 to 2024. The Dodgers believe the six-man rotation will benefit Sasaki just as much as it will help Ohtani as he transitions back into a two-way role, but their depth will allow them to build in additional rest at the first signs of fatigue.
Preserving Sasaki’s health is their most important task in Year 1.
“I do feel confident that as long as he’s healthy, that he’ll be able to perform well,” Ohtani said. “The important thing is for him to be acclimating to the environment that he’s in.”
It’s 2025 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby day in Atlanta!
Some of the most dynamic home run hitters in baseball will be taking aim at the Truist Park stands on Monday (8 p.m. ET on ESPN) in one of the most anticipated events of the summer.
While the prospect of a back-to-back champion is out of the picture — 2024 winner Teoscar Hernandez is not a part of this year’s field — a number of exciting stars will be taking the field, including Atlanta’s own Matt Olson, who replaced Ronald Acuna Jr. just three days before the event. Will Olson make a run in front of his home crowd? Will Cal Raleigh show off the power that led to 38 home runs in the first half? Or will one of the younger participants take the title?
We have your one-stop shop for everything Derby related, from predictions to live updates once we get underway to analysis and takeaways at the night’s end.
MLB Home Run Derby field
Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners (38 home runs in 2025)
James Wood, Washington Nationals (24)
Junior Caminero, Tampa Bay Rays (23)
Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins (21)
Brent Rooker, Athletics (20)
Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves (17)
Jazz Chisholm Jr., New York Yankees (17)
Oneil Cruz, Pittsburgh Pirates (16)
Live updates
Who is going to win the Derby and who will be the runner-up?
Jeff Passan: Raleigh. His swing is perfect for the Derby: He leads MLB this season in both pull percentage and fly ball percentage, so it’s not as if he needs to recalibrate it to succeed. He has also become a prolific hitter from the right side this season — 16 home runs in 102 at-bats — and his ability to switch between right- and left-handed pitching offers a potential advantage. No switch-hitter (or catcher for that matter) has won a Home Run Derby. The Big Dumper is primed to be the first, beating Buxton in the finals.
Alden Gonzalez: Cruz. He might be wildly inconsistent at this point in his career, but he is perfect for the Derby — young enough to possess the stamina required for a taxing event that could become exhausting in the Atlanta heat; left-handed, in a ballpark where the ball carries out better to right field; and, most importantly, capable of hitting balls at incomprehensible velocities. Raleigh will put on a good show from both sides of the plate but will come in second.
Buster Olney: Olson. He is effectively pinch-hitting for Acuna, and because he received word in the past 72 hours of his participation, he hasn’t had the practice rounds that the other competitors have been going through. But he’s the only person in this group who has done the Derby before, which means he has experienced the accelerated pace, adrenaline and push of the crowd.
His pitcher, Eddie Perez, knows something about performing in a full stadium in Atlanta. And, as Olson acknowledged in a conversation Sunday, the park generally favors left-handed hitters because of the larger distances that right-handed hitters must cover in left field.
Jesse Rogers: Olson. Home-field advantage will mean something this year as hitting in 90-plus degree heat and humidity will be an extra challenge in Atlanta. Olson understands that and can pace himself accordingly. Plus, he was a late addition. He has got nothing to lose. He’ll outlast the young bucks in the field. And I’m not putting Raleigh any lower than second — his first half screams that he’ll be in the finals against Olson.
Jorge Castillo: Wood. His mammoth power isn’t disputed — he can jack baseballs to all fields. But the slight defect in his power package is that he doesn’t hit the ball in the air nearly as often as a typical slugger. Wood ranks 126th out of 155 qualified hitters across the majors in fly ball percentage. And he still has swatted 24 home runs this season. So, in an event where he’s going to do everything he can to lift baseballs, hitting fly balls won’t be an issue, and Wood is going to show off that gigantic power en route to a victory over Cruz in the finals.
Who will hit the longest home run of the night — and how far?
Passan: Cruz hits the ball harder than anyone in baseball history. He’s the choice here, at 493 feet.
Gonzalez: If you exclude the Coors Field version, there have been just six Statcast-era Derby home runs that have traveled 497-plus feet. They were compiled by two men: Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. James Wood — all 6-foot-7, 234 pounds of him — will become the third.
Olney: James Wood has the easy Stanton- and Judge-type power, and he will clear the Chophouse with the longest homer. Let’s say 497 feet.
Rogers: Hopefully he doesn’t injure himself doing it, but Buxton will break out his massive strength and crush a ball at least 505 feet. I don’t see him advancing far in the event, but for one swing, he’ll own the night.
Castillo: Cruz hits baseballs hard and far. He’ll crush a few bombs, and one will reach an even 500 feet.
Who is the one slugger fans will know much better after the Derby?
Passan: Buxton capped his first half with a cycle on Saturday, and he’ll carry that into the Derby, where he will remind the world why he was baseball’s No. 1 prospect in 2015. Buxton’s talent has never been in question, just his health. And with his body feeling right, he has the opportunity to put on a show fans won’t soon forget.
Olney: Caminero isn’t a big name and wasn’t a high-end prospect like Wood was earlier in his career. Just 3½ years ago, Caminero was dealt to the Rays by the Cleveland Guardians in a relatively minor November trade for pitcher Tobias Myers. But since then, he has refined his ability to cover inside pitches and is blossoming this year into a player with ridiculous power. He won’t win the Derby, but he’ll open some eyes.
What’s the one moment we’ll all be talking about long after this Derby ends?
Gonzalez: The incredible distances and velocities that will be reached, particularly by Wood, Cruz, Caminero, Raleigh and Buxton. The hot, humid weather at Truist Park will only aid the mind-blowing power that will be on display Monday night.
Rogers: The exhaustion on the hitter’s faces, swinging for home run after home run in the heat and humidity of Hot-lanta!
Castillo: Cruz’s 500-foot blast and a bunch of other lasers he hits in the first two rounds before running out of gas in the finals.
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