Dodgers rumors: What insider is hearing about LA ‘holding back’ Shohei Ohtani

Even when he’s just playing one side of the ball, Shohei Ohtani is still one of the best players in baseball. That is the case at the moment as the reigning National League MVP is still awaiting his return to the mound after recovering from Tommy John Surgery.

The Dodgers have the luxury of a deep starting rotation, which allows them to nurse Ohtani along in his recovery and not have to rush him back immediately. Initially, the goal was to have the two-way star get back on the bump at some point early this season, but now that timetable is being pushed back according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

“The Dodgers are holding back Shohei Ohtani from pitching until after the All-Star break believing there’s no sense in hurrying him to the mound while he continues to put up MVP numbers at the plate,” Nightengale wrote.

Ohtani’s injury has not affected the other parts of his game at all. Last season, despite not pitching at all, he still earned MVP honors after becoming the first player in the sport’s history to post 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. He also helped the Dodgers win the World Series over the New York Yankees despite injuring his shoulder in the playoffs.

Ohtani isn’t quite on the same pace this season, but he is still putting up monster numbers at the plate. In 38 games, the Japanese superstar has racked up 12 home runs and 20 RBIs while batting north of .300 with 10 stolen bases.

If Ohtani can keep up this level of production on offense, the Dodgers won’t need to rush him back to the mound while getting elite production out of him at the plate. However, he is still capable of being one of the best in MLB on the mound, and adding him to an already stellar rotation will make the Dodgers even tougher to beat when the playoffs roll around.