When will Shohei Ohtani return as a two-way player? The Dodgers fans witnessed Ohtani’s slugging last year but are yet to get the taste of his fireballs. Ohtani played as a slugger last year and missed his pitching owing to his TJ surgery. He was well hyped since this offseason about coming up as a two-way player this season. But apart from pitching a few on February 25, no evidence of Ohtani returning as a pitcher.

“We just wanted to kind of slow-play it.” The Dodgers’ manager, Dave Roberts’ statement, further fuels the possibility of getting Ohtani as a two-player this time. 

The year 2023 was the last time Shohei Ohtani played as a two-way player. That year, Ohtani had an outstanding season as a pitcher and a hitter, leading the American League in home runs and earning his second, unanimous AL MVP award. He led AL pitchers in opponents’ batting average (.184) and finished second in strikeouts per nine innings (11.4). Something the Dodgers fans have been long waiting to see. However, why are the Dodgers still unclear about when Ohtani will return to his two-way role? 

Well, the reason is their lack of experience in dealing with a player like Ohtani. “We don’t really have this template or road map or even experience dealing with a guy with a two-way situation,” the Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior said. Yes, it’s rare to have a player excel in both departments.

Shohei Ohtani is a unique proposition for the Dodgers. Thus, the team took a steady approach of pushing him towards pitching. The deep pitching rotation is another reason for not playing Ohtani in a hurry. “This isn’t a situation where we need him to round out five starters, in a traditional sense.”

Prior said, referring to why Ohtani’s pitching is not a compulsion for the team.

The Dodgers are equipped enough to skip Ohtani’s pitch

Shohei Ohtani will not pitch in the Dodgers’ opening Tokyo Series. However, do the Dodgers need to leverage Ohtani’s two-way playing abilities? Given that their rotation is more talented than almost every other club in the Major League, the Dodgers may not even need him to pitch. Stars like Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki, Tony Gonsolin, and Clayton Kershaw are now on their rotation.

With a total of five Cy Young awards, their rotation leads the MLB this season. The Dodgers are thus proved to be well-equipped to skip Ohtani’s pitching. 

However, Shohei Ohtani’s two-way performance is too valuable for the Dodgers to lose. Why? It essentially provides them with a top-tier starting pitcher, besides an elite slugger. In a high-leverage situation, the Dodgers can use Ohtani’s special skills to either score runs or shut down the opposition’s offense, depending on the circumstances.

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This effectively gives the Dodgers a pitching and offensive dimension to their lineup that few other players in the league can match, making them a much more dynamic and potent team on the field. 

That all comes to a point where the fans need to test their patience to witness Ohtani’s pitching. It’s not coming anytime soon. Do you think Shohei Ohtani should be hurried to reclaim his two-way abilities? Do let us know in the comment section below.