PHOENIX — For all of the awards he gained final season, and all of the methods he amazed the Dodgers and their fan base in his first season with the membership, Shohei Ohtani faces virtually as many questions as he embarks on the 2025 season.
After offseason shoulder surgical procedure to restore a torn labrum, will he be as explosive on the plate in his second season in Los Angeles?
After being restricted to solely hitting in 2024, whereas recovering from a Tommy John surgical procedure he underwent the 12 months prior, will he be as dominant on the mound in his return to pitching?
Most of all, in what can be his first season as a two-way participant once more since 2023, will he nonetheless have the ability to deal with a taxing workload that no different big-leaguer has even tried because the days of Babe Ruth?
Thus far, any ultimate solutions stay unclear.
However on Friday evening, in his first Cactus League look of the preseason, the 30-year-old famous person began to supply some promising indications. After one official spring at-bat, he already had his first 2025 house run.
So far as spring coaching video games go, Friday certified as a marquee contest. A packed crowd gathered at Camelback Ranch to look at the Dodgers and Angels sq. off for the primary time. Dodgers catcher Will Smith was making his spring debut, after being held out of the primary week of video games due to a bone bruise on his ankle. Angels offseason signing Yusei Kikuchi was additionally kicking off his Cactus League marketing campaign, starting his preparation for the crew’s opening day begin within the common season. His counterpart, Dustin Could, was making his second spring begin amid a roster battle for the Dodgers’ No. 5 rotation spot.
Nothing, nonetheless, got here near matching the anticipation of Ohtani’s return.
Lower than 4 months in the past, the reigning Nationwide League MVP underwent his shoulder surgical procedure, repairing the torn labrum he sustained within the World Sequence. Whereas that process set him barely not on time in his offseason coaching program, it was clear way back it wouldn’t price him time within the common season.
The actual unknown was how a lot the surgical procedure would possibly affect Ohtani’s swing. Sometimes, the after-effects of a labrum tear can linger for a 12 months or extra. The Dodgers took solace in the truth that Ohtani’s harm occurred within the again shoulder of his swing, assured it could hamper him lower than if it’d occurred to his lead proper arm. However up till Friday, his solely reside swings this camp got here in backfield periods in opposition to minor-league arms.
“[Rehabbing] the shoulder, it’s a little bit more complicated,” Ohtani stated via interpreter Will Ireton earlier this month, acknowledging that he nonetheless felt some discomfort close to the world of the surgical procedure. “I do believe that’s the part that I have to be patient.”
On Friday evening, nonetheless, Ohtani’s first spotlight of the 12 months got here after no wait in any respect.
Batting leadoff in opposition to Kikuchi, a fellow Japanese star who went to the identical highschool as Ohtani, the slugger laid off a pair two-strike choices to work the rely full. Then, on an elevated center-cut fastball, he barreled up a fly ball into the Dodgers’ left-field bullpen. The second it left his bat, it was a no-doubt shot.
Ohtani flung his bat as he trotted out of the batter’s field. Whereas rounding third, he flashed the Dodgers’ dugout the identical hand-waving celebration that accompanied his 54 lengthy balls final 12 months.
That’s a complete Ohtani is unlikely to succeed in once more this season, as he’s anticipated to get extra common off-days as soon as he begins pitching in MLB video games someday in Could (if not sooner). Identical together with his 59 steals in 2024, which gave him the primary 50-homer, 50-steal season in MLB historical past.
“I don’t think he’s going to get the same number of at-bats, plate appearances, given that he’s going to be pitching,” supervisor Dave Roberts stated. “I don’t think he’s going to steal as many bases, just appreciating the fact that he does need to pitch and saving his legs.”
Nonetheless, on a “per plate appearance” foundation, Roberts rapidly countered earlier than Friday’s recreation, “I still think he can be just as productive.”
“There’s some subtleties [in his swing] that he’s kind of been working on from last year, when he was really good, to when he had the injury, to where he’s at right now,” Roberts added. “I think he’s in a really good spot.”
