Ohtani’s Return to Pitching: Will the Dodgers Take the Risk in October?
It’s been nearly 20 months since we last saw Shohei Ohtani unleash a pitch from a major league mound.
The Dodgers superstar took his offensive game to new heights in 2024, capturing his third MVP Award purely on the merits of his bat and speed. But baseball fans are itching to see him assume his full two-way powers again in 2025.
His highly anticipated return to pitching still has no definitive timeline. Ohtani underwent Tommy John surgery in September 2023, and it’s tricky to rehab while also being one of the two best hitters on the planet.
Even if Ohtani returns during the regular season, which is still widely expected, putting him on the mound in the playoffs could be a risk the Dodgers aren’t willing to take.
Yahoo Sports’ Jake Mintz predicted Friday that Ohtani won’t pitch in the postseason this year, as part of a larger compilation of “bold predictions” from MLB.com.
“There’s a compelling argument that utilizing Ohtani, the pitcher, in the postseason represents an unnecessary risk,” Mintz wrote. “Because while L.A.’s starting staff has been decimated by injuries in 2025, there remains a strong chance that the Dodgers enter October with enough healthy, competent starters.”
“So while everyone — except for opposing hitters — would love to see Ohtani on the bump in the postseason, what the people want and what’s optimal for his team might be two very different things.”
The thing is, even in a world of talented pitchers, Ohtani always stood out. He finished fourth in Cy Young voting in 2022. He’s got a 3.01 career ERA and 11.4 K/9. Plus, we’ve seen that he can close out a game in the World Baseball Classic, so the Dodgers could have multiple options on the table.
Will LA turn down the chance to put Ohtani on the mound to make sure he stays healthy at the plate? That’s the $700 million question.
