The Los Angeles Dodgers expect Shohei Ohtani to resume pitching in 2027 after doctors determined that rest, not surgery, was sufficient to address his left knee and right arm problems.
Team president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman confirmed Wednesday that Ohtani is expected to prepare as a two-way player, though the organization has yet to decide how to manage his workload.
Friedman said the Dodgers remain committed to using Ohtani on the mound while developing a plan to protect his performance at the plate.
The team is considering delaying his return to pitching, scheduling additional rest days between appearances, or combining both approaches.
Strong start before injury
In his first 14 starts this season, Ohtani posted an 8-2 record with a 1.79 ERA, striking out 95 batters and walking 26 across 85⅔ innings.
Persistent pain in his left knee and right biceps prevented him from pitching after July 3.
At the plate, Ohtani was batting . 294 with a .
390 on-base percentage and a . 558 slugging percentage as of Aug.
18, with 30 home runs and seven stolen bases.
His physical discomfort later affected his hitting mechanics, and he was not placed on the injured list until after Labor Day, leaving him only five regular-season games to readjust before the playoffs.
Friedman emphasized that the organization must develop its approach without a comparable precedent for managing a player with Ohtani's responsibilities.
"This is unprecedented, what he's doing," Friedman said. "So obviously for us it's unprecedented.
We don't have any experience to draw from."
"We can't go look at how other situations have played out to try to learn from the good and the bad.
We have to all just figure it out together. And I'm not only expecting him to pitch; we're excited about him pitching."
"So now it's about: How do we do that? How do we manage through a long season and have him at his best going into October?
That's a challenge."
Ohtani's production declined late in the regular season and during the postseason.
He collected 11 hits and struck out 29 times in his final 70 regular-season at-bats, then went 4-for-22 without an extra-base hit across his first seven postseason games.
His home run in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series was his first since Aug. 18, but the Dodgers ultimately were swept by the Milwaukee Brewers.
The team also struggled collectively in the postseason, finishing with a . 590 OPS and going 4-for-27 with runners in scoring position during the NLCS.
Friedman acknowledged that Ohtani's offensive struggles contributed to the Dodgers' early postseason exit, while noting that his injury problems began in early July.
Despite those issues, Ohtani remained in the conversation for the league's most valuable player through mid-August.
Following the Dodgers' 6-4 season-ending loss on Oct.
15, Ohtani said he was dissatisfied with his pitching performance and intended to reassess his treatment and training programs before next season.
"I haven't been able to really come to grips with what I've learned overall this season," Ohtani said through an interpreter.
"It's something that I'm going to go back to the drawing board in terms of treatment, training programs and see what I can come up with for next season."
Ohtani was attempting his first full-time two-way season in three years. At age 32, the demands proved more difficult than during his previous comparable campaign at age 29.
Roster and staffing decisions
Friedman also confirmed that the Dodgers would make no changes to manager Dave Roberts' coaching staff.
He described the team's relationship with owner Mark Walter as business as usual despite Walter's federal investigation over alleged multibillion-dollar self-dealing.
Friedman said Walter was disappointed after the playoff defeat but focused on the organization's next steps.
The Dodgers must also address pending free agency involving pitcher Tarik Skubal, whom they acquired before the trade deadline, along with relievers Alex Vesia and Evan Phillips.
The organization is also evaluating ways to add younger players to its oldest position-player group.
However, managing Ohtani's workload remains a central priority as the Dodgers seek to preserve his offensive production while returning him to the mound.
Friedman said the plan would require deliberate communication among everyone involved because of the exceptional value Ohtani provides as a pitcher.
The Dodgers have not yet determined how much control Ohtani will have over the scheduling and management of his pitching duties.
"I think we're just going to have to be very deliberate about it on all sides," Friedman said of the communication process, "because the value of it is incredible, and therefore it's incumbent upon all of us to figure out the best way to do it."
