SI

Dodgers Haven't Ruled Out Shohei Ohtani Pitching in 2024 MLB Playoffs

The two-way phenom hasn't pitched in a game since undergoing elbow surgery last September.

Tom Dierberger

Ohtani hasn't pitched in an MLB game since Aug. 23, 2023.
Ohtani hasn't pitched in an MLB game since Aug. 23, 2023. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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There is still a possibility that Los Angeles Dodgers two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani toes the rubber this fall and pitches in the upcoming 2024 MLB playoffs.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is leaving the door open for Ohtani to make his return to the mound as a pitcher this postseason for the first time since undergoing elbow surgery last September.

"I just think like anything—you should always leave some margin, a crack in the door for any possibility," Roberts said Friday in a hit on MLB Network Radio. "If things line up and there's a need, and the game, his body, everything is telling us that it makes sense in that situation, great. It would be storybook.

"But I think to kind of count on that, bet on that—I think that's not a fair way to go about it. But Shohei is on board, which is to continue his rehab process. I wouldn't put it past him to have an eye on that. We'll just see how it plays out."

Ohtani last pitched in a game for the Los Angeles Angels when he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow on Aug. 23, 2023. He joined the Dodgers as a free agent in December and has been playing solely as a designated hitter this season with plans to join his team's rotation in 2025.

However, the Dodgers' rotation has been a weakness this season. Entering Friday's series opener against the Atlanta Braves, the Dodgers' starting staff ranks 17th in ERA (4.14) and has allowed the fifth-most homers (112) in baseball.

Dodgers starters Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Walker Buehler, Bobby Miller and Gavin Stone have all missed significant time this season. Glasnow, Kershaw and Stone remain on the injured list heading into the final few weeks of the regular season.

If Ohtani did pitch in the postseason—which, again, still is unlikely—it would probably be out of the bullpen. But then again, he is Shohei Ohtani. Who's to say it won't happen?

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Tom Dierberger
TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.

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