Dodgers pause Shohei Ohtani's pitching rehab, putting potential May return into question

When Shohei Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers last offseason, it was expected he would be ready to pitch again on Opening Day of 2025. Then that got pushed to May. And now the team isn't sure.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters at spring training Thursday that Ohtani has not thrown off a mound since Feb. 25 and will not face hitters until the team returns from its season-opening Japan Series on March 18 and 19, per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times.

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Ohtani is still playing catch, however, and got off to a strong start as a hitter with a home run in his first at-bat of spring training.

Roberts reportedly explained the pause as the Dodgers wanting to "slow-play" Ohtani's pitching program as he ramps up as a hitter before the season. When asked if that would interfere with Ohtani's belief he could be pitching by May, Roberts indicated the timetable was much more indefinite:

Ohtani has not pitched in any sort of game since undergoing surgery to repair a torn UCL at the end of the 2023 season, when he was still with the Los Angeles Angels. His pitching timetable was significantly altered when he tore the labrum in his left, non-throwing shoulder in Game 2 of the 2024 World Series. That injury required another surgery, and interfered with his rehab over the offseason.

Figuring out Ohtani's return was always going to be tricky because of his status as one of the most valuable players in baseball, even when he is a hitter only. Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes has said that rather than have him pitch in a rehab assignment, like any other pitcher, he will have to go straight from simulated games to an MLB mound, because the team doesn't want to lose his bat while he plays minor-league games.

So there's really no telling when Ohtani will be pitching again. The Dodgers are obviously going to be as cautious as possible, and they are also in the enviable position of not particularly needing him right now.

Even with Ohtani as a full-time DH, the Dodgers still project to have one of the best rotations in baseball with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki and likely Tony Gonsolin or Dustin May. They also have some of the strongest pitching depth in baseball, which they have needed over the past few seasons due to an unparalleled cavalcade of injuries.

Ohtani pitching will still be good news for them, though, as the team is planning to move to a six-man rotation once he comes back. He holds a career 3.01 ERA with a 1.082 WHIP and 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings.

In the meantime, Ohtani is coming off one of the most decorated seasons in MLB history, with a World Series ring and a third MVP award after posting the league's first 50-homer, 50-stolen base season. With his deferred money and untouched value as an advertising draw offsetting his former record $700 million contract, he is already doing plenty for the Dodgers.