Shohei Ohtani Reveals Injury Timeline for Return to Pitching

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matt De Lima | Last updated Feb 12, 2025 4:13 PM ET

Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani hasn't pitched since August 2023, when he was still a member of the L.A. Angels. Last year, before the Dodgers' appearance in the World Series, there were news rumblings that Ohtani might get back on the mound as Los Angeles prepared to play the New York Yankees.

That never happened, but according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, baseball fans can expect an estimated injury timeline for Ohtani's pitching.

In November, Ohtani had arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder to repair a torn labrum. On Wednesday, Ohtani revealed during Wednesday's spring training session he will be able to resume DH duties in the spring and pitch in May.

Shohei Ohtani says he’s still not fully recovered from his shoulder surgery but should be ready to DH this spring and pitch in May pic.twitter.com/PGMsC1dhUO
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) February 12, 2025

The 30-year-old is a four-time MLB All-Star and winner of three MVP awards. Ohtani became the league's first-ever member of the 50/50 club by hitting 50 home runs and stealing 50 bases last season.

Ohtani began his professional baseball career playing in Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan.

In December 2023, the Dodgers signed Ohtani to a 10-year, $700 million contract. Since then, baseball fans have grown frustrated with L.A.'s massive spending expenditures and dominance in MLB's free agency. Last month, the Dodgers signed Roki Sasaki, a rising pitching prospect from Japan.

In 2024, Ohtani won his first World Series with the Dodgers, the franchise's eighth title in its history, which dates back to 1883.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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