LOS ANGELES — Two-way star Shohei Ohtani being ready to pitch by May is “about right,” Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Saturday at the team’s annual fan festival.
He reiterated Ohtani won’t be on the mound in the Japan Series against the Chicago Cubs on March 18-19 in Tokyo, which will serve as the opening games of MLB’s 2025 regular season.
The 30-year-old from Japan hasn’t pitched in the majors since August 2023, when he was with the Los Angeles Angels and on his way to a second American League MVP award.
The right-hander had surgery on his left shoulder on Nov. 5 after dislocating it while attempting to steal a base in Game 2 of the World Series against the New York Yankees. Despite playing exclusively at designated hitter in 2024, Ohtani won the National League MVP for the first time in his first season with the Dodgers, who won the World Series for the franchise’s eighth MLB title.
“He looks really strong,” Roberts said. “I saw some videos recently, and you just wouldn’t think that there was any shoulder surgery this past winter.”