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Shohei Ohtani Won't Start Pitching Until May, Per Manager Dave Roberts

As the Dodgers look to repeat in 2025, they are playing the long game with Shohei Ohtani.

Brady Farkas

Decoy, the dog of Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) delivered the first pitch before the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Dodger Stadium on Aug 28.
Decoy, the dog of Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) delivered the first pitch before the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Dodger Stadium on Aug 28. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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After winning the World Series in 2024, the Los Angeles Dodgers are playing the long game with National League MVP Shohei Ohtani.

Manager Dave Roberts tells a Japanese outlet that Ohtani won't start pitching until May as he comes back from Tommy John surgery. They want him healthy for another lengthy playoff run.

Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts said of Shohei Ohtani, “We are not going to start him pitching until May.”

@Dodgers

A dynamic presence on the mound, Ohtani is 38-19 lifetime with a 3.01 ERA. He's struck out 608 batters in 481.2 innings. He's made 86 starts, all for the Angels. He's yet to pitch for the Dodgers since signing there before the 2024 season.

While we all want to see Ohtani back on the mound, there's really no pressure to rush him. The Dodgers have the built in leisure of having won the World Series and also feature a rotation of Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and others like Tony Gonsolin.

Even without getting on the mound, Ohtani is coming off one of the greatest seasons we've ever seen in baseball history.

Ohtani hit .310 en route to capturing his third MVP Award. It was his first MVP Award in the National League, as he became the second player (Frank Robinson) to win the MVP Award in both leagues.

He also finished the season with a unprecedented 50-50 year. He hit 54 homers and stole 59 bases, becoming the first player to ever accomplish that feat.

The Dodgers beat the Yankees in five games in the World Series.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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