The Los Angeles Dodgers are not ruling out their two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani returning to the mound during the playoffs, according to manager Dave Roberts.
Ohtani has been playing exclusively as a designated hitter in 2024 following an elbow surgery last year. It was widely expected that he wouldn’t start pitching until next year, but the Dodgers now seem at least open to the possibility of that happening earlier.
“I wouldn’t say no way … I’m not going to close the door 100%,” said Roberts when asked whether Ohtani could pitch in the playoffs.
Still, Roberts is aware that rushing Ohtani back to the mound would come with a risk, one that he isn’t comfortable with taking.
“If I was scripting a movie or writing a book, it would be a no-brainer that he comes out of rehabilitation and throws the last pitch,” he added. “The problem is, in reality, he hasn’t thrown a leverage pitch in over a year. If he were to come out and it does go awry, it’s not worth the potential injury. You just cannot duplicate the stress of that one inning. I just don’t think it’s worth it.”
Even without his pitching, Ohtani has been a key component of the Dodgers’ compiling 87-60 record, which is second-best in MLB at the moment. He is batting .290 with a league-leading 47 home runs and 104 RBIs. Ohtani also has 48 stolen bases and could become the first player in MLB history to have 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in a single season.
