Dodgers Have Made Decision on Shohei Ohtani Pitching in Postseason

Maren Angus-Coombs | Oct 2, 2024

Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes confirmed the inevitable on Wednesday: Shohei Ohtani will not pitch in the postseason.

"I think it's no different than before," Gomes stated. "We don't anticipate him pitching in the postseason."

Ohtani's return to the mound would have added another remarkable chapter to an already historic season, but the Dodgers and Ohtani have decided not to take the risk.

#Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes said decision during meeting with Shohei Ohtani about his pitching rehab was to continue the program as laid out. That means continuing bullpen sessions, no live BPs scheduled.

— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) October 2, 2024

Speculation about a possible return began in mid-September when manager Dave Roberts hinted that the two-way star could pitch again. The Dodgers reportedly kept the option open as long as possible, but pushing Ohtani's recovery ahead of schedule doesn’t make sense for either side.

“He’s probably, I mean, I don’t know exactly because his calendar is obviously a little quirky,” said Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior on Sept. 13. “But if I had to guess based on the amount of ‘pens, he’d still be at least a couple more weeks before we got to having that discussion. And even then, that might be accelerated.”

Ohtani is coming off one of the most impressive offensive seasons in baseball history. He became the first player to hit at least 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season, setting multiple franchise and league records.

He achieved all this while recovering from his second Tommy John surgery, serving as the Dodgers' full-time designated hitter.

After six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels without a playoff appearance, Ohtani is poised to make his postseason debut in Game 1 of the NLDS. The Dodgers will face the winner of the best-of-three Wild Card series between the Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres.

“I think that you should always leave some margin, a crack in the door for any possibility,” Roberts mentioned on SiriusXM MLB Network Radio. “If things line up and there’s a need, and the game, [Ohtani’s] body, everything is telling us that it makes sense in that situation, great. It would be storybook.”

Roberts later clarified his comments, saying, “The question I was asked was, ‘Is it a possibility?’ Anything is possible. We’ve still got a lot of work to get to October and through October. I hope that’s on his mind as far as motivation for his rehab. But the odds of it coming to pass are very slim. But they’re not zero. That’s my only thing.”