Shohei Ohtani is doing Shohei Ohtani things again—but this time, unlike last season, it’s not just about his bat! Sure, he cranked his 29th homer last night in Kansas City and is just three behind Cal Raleigh for the league lead—but today it’s different. Now it’s all about the arm. Ohtani is back on the mound for his third start of the season. But Los Angeles Dodgers fans are left asking, when do his training wheels come off?

Now let’s not get it all twisted. Ohtani has been electric pitching. In his first outing, he fired 17 of 28 pitches at 95+ mph. In his second outing, he mowed down two hitters in an 18-pitch inning. But that’s all that everyone has seen. One inning here, one inning there. That’s not the two-way thunder everyone was promised. That’s just being… careful

And careful is alright—until it starts to sound like confusion. Former Marlins president David Samson said what many are just thinking. “Big announcement. Shohei Ohtani pitching on Sunday. Stop the presses…… Yippee! What are you doing? If I’m in the media in LA, I’ve got to ask Dave Roberts, ‘What exactly is your plan with Ohtani?’” Sure, it is brutal. But is he wrong? Well, not everyone agrees with this perspective.

Tim Kurkjian has a much hotter take. “He is going to be as good as he wants to be because as long as he’s healthy, he rises to the occasion like no one I’ve ever seen. And I can’t wait to see where he is a couple months from now because he’s going to get stronger and stronger every time out” said Kurjian to ESPN. And this is the thing fans want to hear. The belief in the process is what they need.

Still with the Dodgers’ ultra-conservative rollout plan, fans are holding their breath. It’s not just about how Ohtani is looking good now or not. It’s also about whether he can carry the load when crunch time comes. Because losing Ohtani to a mistake is not what anyone in LA wants. And right now, hence, nobody knows how long the Dodgers will keep this one-inning-at-a-time strategy going.

So yes, while Shohei Ohtani is back on the mound tonight, and he is Shohei, for the Dodgers to truly get what they paid for, they need more than claps and an inning. The time when Robert agrees to unleash the two-way monster might be coming sooner. And Ohtani is already showing signs of being at top form. Remember when he hurled the 101.4 mph fastball back in 2022? Well, he might have just topped it with a 101.7 mph fastball to Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino.

But as Ohtani inches his way back into top shape, fans can’t help but wonder—who is going to carry the bulk of the innings?

As Shohei Ohtani eases in, Dodgers look to bolster rotation

Two one-inning starts by Ohtani are a great tease, but not enough when October rolls around. This is where a Kansas City player’s name comes in. Seth Lugo from the Kansas City Royals might be on the move! According to ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan, there is a growing belief—about 40% to be exact—that the Royals could trade off Lugo before the deadline. And lo and behold, the Los Angeles Dodgers are in the mix.

If Ohtani is the flash, then Lugo is, well, the foundation and a rock essentially. In 2025, he has a 2.93 ERA and hasn’t had a serious injury since 2022. Last season was great—all-star, league leader in starts, and over 200 innings pitched. He is also the runner-up in the AL Cy Young race. So with that kind of resume, it just screams postseason depth person.

His current numbers in June are four runs over 23 innings, a strikeout per inning. And he is not overpowering, just efficient, super calm, and also super consistent. This last point is one of the major concerns in LA right now, given that half the pitchers are in the IL. So, it seems like he has everything to give that the Dodgers really need. The Royals, meanwhile, are stuck and are three and a half games out of the Wild Card spot. They know holding on to Lugo, who probably might be opting out of his $15 million player option this year, simply spells – LOSS.

Hence, keep your eyes open, LA; a big move seems to be in the works. What do you think it will happen?