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.”
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