Has Shohei Ohtani’s long-awaited return to the mound been just noise? Earlier this month, when the Dodgers officially confirmed Ohtani’s two-way comeback in Los Angeles, fans were thrilled at the thought of seeing the phenom dominate from the mound as well. But a week after his first start in blue, that excitement is quietly fading away with a glaring concern: was the $700 million gamble even worth?

Ohtani has started two games for the Dodgers and is set to start another game in the upcoming series against the Kansas City Royals. But unlike his consistent dominance at the plate, the two-way phenom is yet to prove his pitching prowess in blue. If you look at Shohei’s pitching numbers from his Angels’ days, the Japanese slugger not only started from the mound but was an ideal ace, who won multiple games for Anaheim.

In 2023 alone, Ohtani pitched 132 innings in 23 starts with an ERA of 3.14 and 167 strikeouts. But in Dodger blue? Just two innings across two starts, with two strikeouts and a ballooned 4.50 ERA to show for it. So, no wonder that the renowned MLB analysts Kevin Miller and Brian Kenny are not buying the cautious approach taken for the two-way phenom anymore.

The Red Sox legend and MLB Network analyst Kevin Millar wasn’t buying the cautious approach. While co-host Brian Kenny floated the idea of using Ohtani as an opener, pitching the first inning or so to “protect the golden goose offensively,” Millar pushed back hard. “I like your idea. I’m so sick of protecting injuries,” Millar reacted, referencing how the Angels once stopped Mike Trout from stealing bases to avoid injury. “Yeah, but this guy’s pitching and hitting,” he emphasized, frustrated with the overly careful narrative. “Let’s see what he can do, though, BK.”

Then, Kenny pointed out that Ohtani had already endured multiple elbow surgeries, “He’s missed three seasons already,” and suggested the Dodgers should “protect him from himself.” Millar didn’t budge there! “The $750 million [$700 million] deal that we gave him, we gave him because he’s a two-way player,” Millar pointed out bluntly. “We didn’t give him to DH and hit 57 home runs and drive a 110 for $700 million.”

Millar then made his case for letting Ohtani return to the mound in a manageable, but meaningful role. “If he’s healthy, and Shohei’s been wanting to pitch, he’s been on Dave Roberts’ call, let’s go. Let him open. He’s even got a couple of innings before,” Millar shared, clearly agitated by the hesitation.

Kenny agreed to a point, suggesting a compromise. “Kev, he starts, he knows the day he’s starting, and you pitch him one, one and two-thirds, and then on any given day, you can have him go six.”

With Ohtani already making short pitching appearances, tossing 18 pitches and striking out two Nationals in his latest outing, the tension now lies with how the Dodgers move forward. One thing’s certain: Kevin Millar doesn’t think spending $700 million just to play it safe makes any sense.

But what does the Dodgers skipper think?

Dave Roberts: Still in awe of the Dodgers unicorn

Every once in a while, baseball delivers a player who doesn’t just bend expectations, he breaks them entirely. That’s what Shohei Ohtani continues to do in a Dodger uniform, even as he tiptoes back into pitching form. While many stars ease their way into relevance after surgery, Ohtani is already grabbing headlines with his ability to dominate both at the plate and, now, once again, on the mound. And Dodgers manager Dave Roberts isn’t hiding his admiration. “I don’t think anybody knows what ‘fully prepared’ looks like,” Roberts admitted. “Because this isn’t your typical starting pitcher.”

What Ohtani is doing isn’t just rare, it’s unequaled. Coming off Tommy John surgery, most pitchers measure progress in careful bullpen sessions and pitch counts. But Ohtani? He’s already notched strikeouts in live games.

Against the Nationals, he needed just 18 pitches, 12 for strikes, to record two punchouts in a scoreless appearance. “Overall, I felt more relaxed compared to my last outing,” Ohtani shared postgame. “I was able to get back into games sooner than I expected.”

Shotime is not just recovering, he’s resetting the bar for what post-surgery recovery can look like. And the player who once called his two-way journey “an experiment” now talks like a man chasing perfection. “I still have things to work on,” Ohtani admitted. “But I feel like I can perform even better than I used to.”

The combination of self-awareness, along with skill and unbreakable determination, is what continues to impress Roberts and the entire league. Confidence is quietly swelling in Ohtani’s voice, and Roberts can see it. “He’s just different,” the skipper expressed.

After all, it’s not something you experience every day, taking care of a unicorn.