{"id":7639,"date":"2024-12-10T12:23:42","date_gmt":"2024-12-10T10:23:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/?p=7639"},"modified":"2024-12-10T12:23:42","modified_gmt":"2024-12-10T10:23:42","slug":"reports-shohei-ohtani-very-unlikely-to-pitch-in-dodgers-opener","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/reports-shohei-ohtani-very-unlikely-to-pitch-in-dodgers-opener\/","title":{"rendered":"Reports: Shohei Ohtani ‘very unlikely’ to pitch in Dodgers’ opener"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shohei Ohtani won’t be ready to pitch for the Dodgers by Opening Day in 2025. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed this at the Winter Meetings, stating it’s “very unlikely” Ohtani will take the mound in the season opener. However, Roberts expects Ohtani to be fully available as a designated hitter.<\/p>

Ohtani, who had arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder in November, is still in recovery. The Dodgers are taking a cautious approach, prioritizing his long-term health over an early return to pitching.<\/p>

Dodgers’ pitching depth buys time<\/h2>

Ohtani’s absence on the mound won’t leave the Dodgers scrambling. Their rotation features new additions Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, among others. This depth allows them to focus on Ohtani’s gradual recovery.<\/p>

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Dave Roberts told reporters that it's unlikely that Shohei Ohtani will pitch in the Tokyo Series on March 18th and 19th in Japan, but he does expect him to be in the lineup pic.twitter.com\/UNxERAeA7S<\/a><\/p>— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) December 9, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote>