Shohei Ohtani's massive, $700 million (largely deferred) contract was valued as high as it was in part because there was an expectation he would impact the game on both sides of the ball both as a slugger and a pitcher.
Ohtani missed out on pitching his first season with the Dodgers as he recovered from an operation to repair his UCL after the 2023 season. Los Angeles found a way to build around that, though, including with some trade deadline moves to add pitching help, ultimately winning a World Series trophy in 2024.
Now, Ohtani is hoping to get back on the bump, spending this spring training getting prepared to pitch in a Dodgers uniform for the first time in 2025. Manager Dave Roberts gave an update on how he's progressing on Saturday.
Roberts told reporters that Ohtani was throwing 92 to 94 miles per hour (fastball) with a brief 14-pitch bullpen session. He also added it's possible Ohtani will be facing batters in simulated settings before the Dodgers head to Toyko for the 2025 MLB World Tour in mid-March.
Ohtani's average fastball velocity was 96.8 mph in 2023.
It's overall great news for Ohtani and the Dodgers, who will be even more of a threat once he's back as a pitcher.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Dave Roberts Gives New Optimistic Update on Shohei Ohtani Pitching Timeline.
