Dodgers phenom Shohei Ohtani simply took the primary main step towards his anticipated return to pitching subsequent season. As famous by The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya, Ohtani threw off the mound for the primary time since he underwent elbow surgical procedure simply over eleven months in the past. Whereas Saturday’s 10-pitch bullpen session received’t change the truth that Ohtani isn’t going to pitch within the majors this 12 months, it’s the most recent indicator that the league’s largest star is properly on his technique to returning to two-way play in time for the Dodgers to open the 2025 common season with a two-game set towards the Cubs in Japan subsequent 12 months.
Whereas Ohtani received’t throw an official pitch for the Dodgers within the first 12 months of his record-shattering ten-year cope with the membership, that hasn’t stopped the 30-year-old from being a dominant pressure for the membership as they head for his or her Twelfth-consecutive playoff look. Ohtani is at present the consensus favourite for this 12 months’s NL MVP award, which might be the third MVP of his profession after he captured the AL MVP Award in each 2021 and 2023 with the Angels. In 126 video games with the Dodgers this 12 months, Ohtani has slashed an unbelievable .292/.378/.614 (170 wRC+) throughout 578 journeys to the plate. He grew to become simply the sixth participant in MLB historical past to hit 40 dwelling runs and steal 40 bases in a season final night time, becoming a member of Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Alfonso Soriano, and Ronald Acuna Jr.
That dominant offensive efficiency has allowed Ohtani to emerge as essentially the most constant menace in a star-studded Dodgers lineup. That’s thanks partially to his sturdiness; whereas fellow superstars Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman have each missed time this 12 months, Ohtani has appeared in 126 of the Dodgers’ 129 video games, leaving him tied with Teoscar Hernandez for the membership lead in video games performed this 12 months. With the surging Diamondbacks and Padres sitting simply 3.5 and 4.5 video games again respectively of L.A. within the race of the NL West, the Dodgers determine to proceed leaning on Ohtani to guide their offense to their eleventh NL West title previously 12 years.
