(Video) Shohei Ohtani SPOTTED pitching during Spring Training ahead of 2025 season
Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani was seen pitching during Spring Training signaling that his return to the mound was getting closer.
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Shohei Ohtani (Image via Imago/X)
The Spring Training period has officially begun. After three months of no MLB action, players have started reported backing to training. Ahead of the new season, there seems to be some more good news for the Los Angeles Dodgers fans as Shohei Ohtani was spotted pitching on Monday.
The reigning National League MVP has not thrown a pitch in the big leagues since 2023. Following a shoulder injury in August that year, he would undergo surgery. This saw him play just as the designated hitter (DH) in his first season with the Dodgers.
His return to the mound is something that many are eagerly waiting for. During the Dodgers Fan Fest recently, he provided a grim update regarding this and claimed that he was unsure when he would resume pitching in the MLB again.
However, he has started rehabilitation regarding this. A few weeks ago, he was seen pitching inside a park. On Monday, as the pitchers and catchers reported to training, the Japanese star also arrived at the training camp.
In a video shared by the Dodgers’ official account, he can be seen throwing some pitches. After some pitches, he was also seen swinging in the nets and practicing hitting. Check out that video below:
Pitcher and designated hitter, Shohei Ohtani. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/g4iJdcnaBI
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) February 10, 2025
His coach Dave Roberts had previously claimed that Ohtani would not be pitching during the Japan Series against the Chicago Cubs in his home country. The 62-year-old though admitted that the month of May could be the right time to see him back on the mound.
Shohei Ohtani pitching in May “sounds about right,” according to Dave Roberts.
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) February 2, 2025
(Via: @FabianArdaya) pic.twitter.com/8adYrocHvT
Dodgers’ executive explains how Shohei Ohtani’s two-way ability helped them to land Roki Sasaki
One of the biggest free agent signings this offseason was Roki Sasaki. The Japanese international had attracted a lot of teams with his impressive performance in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) of Japan and were looking to land him. A Los Angeles Dodgers executive explained how Shohei Ohtani‘s two-way ability helped them land Sasaki.
Ohtani was among few of the players who pitched (no pun intended) to Sasaki in the offseason. The team’s General Manager Andrew Friedman recently appeared at the Dodgers Territory Podcast and revealed how Ohtani being a two-way player helped them.
Every team in the league is allowed to have 13 players registered as pitchers. With Ohtani being a two-way player, the team does not have to claim him as one of the pitchers. This allows them to have five starting pitchers along with Ohtani as well as have eight pitchers in the bullpen as relievers.
The two-way designation is incredibly helpful, with the 13-pitcher limit. The two-way designation allows us to not count Shohei as a pitcher, which in turn allows us to have flexibility with our starting rotation and still maintain an eight-man bullpen. And that was part of our pitch to Roki and something that we believed very strongly was no team was better equipped to bring him along in the major leagues than we were because of Shohei.
Andrew Friedman said
Andrew Friedman explains how the two-way player designation gives the Dodgers a roster-building edge, and played a key role in their pitch to Roki Sasaki. 👇 pic.twitter.com/kMwfW2wToO
— Dodgers Territory (@LADTerritory) February 10, 2025
New signees Roki Sasaki and Blake Snell are currently expected to be part of the pitching rotation along with Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow. While Ohtani might not join the rotation straight away, he is expected to be part of it later this season and form a fearful rotation.
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Vinay Dave
(1870 Articles Published)