‘Disappointed’ Shohei Ohtani Confirms He Will Not Pitch Again in 2026 Season

Shohei Ohtani has an 8-2 record in 14 starts with a 1.79 ERA this season.

‘Disappointed’ Shohei Ohtani Confirms He Will Not Pitch Again in 2026 Season

Shohei Ohtani (Image via X/@SleeperDodgers)

On Monday, Shohei Ohtani was back in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ lineup. The Japanese international had missed the last 4 games due to physical discomfort. Following his return, the 2-way star confirmed that he will not pitch again this season.

Ohtani resumed his 2-way role last season in June after playing just as the designated hitter (DH) in the 2024 campaign. This season was meant to be his first full season as a 2-way player since 2023.

He also had a good start while pitching. His impressive performances from the mound put him in the National League Cy Young Award conversations.

It was in June when he started feeling discomfort. He was diagnosed with left knee soreness and missed the All-Star Game in Philadelphia in July.

In August, he started a pitching program. However, he struggled with it and did not have the best time while throwing pitches from the bullpen. Last Wednesday, he looked uncomfortable from the batter’s box and had some pain in his biceps. He went 0-for-4 with 4 strikeouts.

Following that game, he did not feature in the next 4 games. On Sunday, manager Dave Roberts was asked about shutting him down as a pitcher for the year. The skipper claimed that it was unlikely that he would pitch again this year.

In his return to the lineup, the 4-time MVP looked a bit better than last Wednesday. He once again went hitless but did have a walk in the Dodgers’ 6-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds.

During the press conference after the game, Ohtani admitted that he would not be pitching again this season. While speaking through his interpreter, Will Ireton, the 32-year-old expressed that he would focus more on hitting moving forward.

Most likely, no. I’m going to be focusing on hitting moving forward.

Shohei Ohtani told the reporters

He went on to admit that not pitching again was “disappointing” for him.

Disappointing, but I want to make sure that when I look back at this season, that I used this as an experience, a learning experience and make sure that I use that as something to improve upon for next season.

Shohei Ohtani added

In 14 starts this season, Ohtani has an 8-2 record with a 1.79 ERA and 95 strikeouts. With the bat, he has a .277/.380/.902 slash line with 30 home runs and 80 RBIs.

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Shohei Ohtani confident his overall performance will get better moving forward

Shohei Ohtani will now play just as the DH for the rest of the season. The Los Angeles Dodgers superstar confirmed that he will not pitch again this year. He is, however, confident that his overall performance will get better moving forward.

Shohei Ohtani
Shohei Ohtani (Image via Imago)

After he started his pitching rehab, his batting stats went down a bit. According to reports from MLB.com, he was hitting .204 (19-for-93) with a .704 OPS from August 8 until last Wednesday. In this time span, he struck out 32 times. With no pitching, Ohtani expects his game to get better.

I’m confident that my overall performance should be better moving forward.

Shohei Ohtani told the reporters

In 2024, Ohtani played the whole season as the DH. He underwent surgery in 2023 to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL). While playing just as the DH, he went on to script history by creating the 50-50 club.

He became the first player to hit 50 home runs and have 50 stolen bases in a single season. He ended the regular season batting .310 with 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases.

Speaking of the Dodgers, the 2-time defending champions would be hoping he is able to play at his best with the bat going forward. With their 5th successive win on Monday, they are 87-57 for the season. As they aim for a historic 3-peat of the World Series title, they will want Ohtani to be fit and healthy.

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