Shohei Ohtani News: Dave Roberts Says Dodgers' Star 'A Lot Further Along' Than Expected

This is great news for Los Angeles.

The Dodgers will begin the new season in a little more than a month against the San Diego Padres in Seoul, Korea. They will play a two-game series with their NL West rivals before returning back to the States to prepare for their home opener against the St. Louis Cardinals.

After the massive spending spree that Los Angeles went on this offseason, there has been a ton of hype surrounding the team. One main reason is the addition of two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani.

There have been questions regarding the status of Ohtani for the opening game against the Padres, but he put that to bed a few weeks back. However, he is still recovering from a torn UCL, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts provided some good news on his recovery. 

“He’s a lot further along than I think any of us maybe not named Shohei would have expected,” Roberts said. “He’s worked really hard and (has been) very diligent in his work. So he’s ahead of schedule. What that means as far as when he’s going to play in a Cactus League game, I don’t know the answer. But it seems like every single day, he keeps getting better and feels really good.”

Per Dave Roberts via Dodgers Insider

Ohtani seems on track to return to his normal hitting, and his presence in the Dodgers lineup is needed. He gives them a lethal front three between himself, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.

Los Angeles has some big expectations on their shoulders this season, so Ohtani will need to be available. He is dedicated to getting himself into playing shape while also rehabbing his injury. It's a tough ask for anyone, but Ohtani is unlike anything we have ever seen before in the game of baseball.