Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Tosses three dominant frames
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Ohtani allowed one hit and issued one walk while striking out four batters over three scoreless innings in a no-decision against San Francisco on Saturday. He also went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts as a hitter.
For the first time in a Dodgers uniform, Ohtani went deeper than two innings, completing three frames on 36 pitches against the Giants. He threw 25 of those offerings for strikes, including six whiffs, and fanned a season-high four batters while looking entirely at ease on the mound. Ohtani gave up a run in one inning during his 2025 pitching debut versus San Diego on June 16, and since then he's tossed eight scoreless frames while allowing just two hits and posting a 10:2 K:BB over four starts. The Dodgers will almost certainly continue to build him up gradually, so he probably won't be pitching deep enough to qualify for a win for several more starts, but all signs to this point indicate that Ohtani hasn't lost the ability to be an ace after undergoing UCL surgery in September of 2023. Per Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register, Ohtani will next pitch in one of Los Angeles' first five games following the All-Star break, though it's not yet clear if he'll again form a piggyback with Emmet Sheehan, who tossed 4.1 frames following Ohtani on Saturday.
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Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Lifts homer in loss
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Ohtani went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 8-7 loss to the Giants.
Ohtani's third-inning homer gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead at the time. After opening July with a 3-for-22 (.136) slump over six games, Ohtani has gone 4-for-14 with two homers and four RBI over his last four contests. The two-way superstar is up to a .278/.383/.614 slash line with 32 long balls, 60 RBI, 89 runs scored, 12 stolen bases, 12 doubles and seven triples over 93 contests. Ohtani is scheduled to make a start on the mound Saturday, but as he's still building up his workload, he's likely to cover two or three innings before turning the ball over to Emmet Sheehan.
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Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Getting piggybacked again Saturday
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Manager Dave Roberts said this week that Ohtani will serve as the Dodgers' opening pitcher for Saturday's game against the Giants and will be followed by right-hander Emmet Sheehan in bulk relief, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
After covering one inning in both of his first two starts as a pitcher, Ohtani has worked two frames in both of his subsequent outings. Roberts didn't go into specifics regarding what Ohtani's workload will look like Saturday, but if the current trend holds, the right-hander could be in line for a three-inning start. Until the Dodgers are willing to let Ohtani work five innings, he won't be able to qualify for wins in his starts, so the bulk of the two-way superstar's fantasy value looks as though it will come from his production as a hitter for the foreseeable future.
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Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Blasts 31st home run
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Ohtani went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Tuesday's loss to the Brewers.
Ohtani opened up the game with a leadoff home run against Jacob Misiorowski, but the Dodgers were blanked the rest of the way. It was Ohtani's second home run in July and his sixth home run in his last 15 games. He leads the National League in homers (31), slugging and OPS but is 14th with 57 RBI as the All-Star break approaches.
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Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Impressive in another brief outing
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Ohtani tossed two scoreless innings in a no-decision against Houston on Saturday, allowing one hit and striking out three batters. He also went 1-for-4 with a walk as a hitter.
Ohtani completed two frames for the second straight start, this time firing 31 pitches. Of those offerings, six were whiffs, and the two-way star notched a season-high three strikeouts. Ohtani has given up just one run while recording a 6:1 K:BB over six innings across four starts as a pitcher since making his season debut on the mound June 16. The Dodgers appear intent on having Ohtani ramp up his workload slowly, though manager Dave Roberts said Saturday that the Japanese hurler could work up to five or six innings by the end of the season.
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Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Tabbed for two innings again
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Ohtani is scheduled to pitch two innings in his start Saturday versus Houston, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.
After completing exactly one inning in both of his first two starts as a pitcher, Ohtani tossed two frames in his third outing last Saturday in Kansas City. The two-way star shined in that appearance, giving up just one hit and no runs, but the Dodgers appear intent on keeping his workload limited to a pair of innings again Saturday. Fantasy managers should continue to limit their expectations for Ohtani as a hurler since he isn't likely to go deep enough to qualify for a win or rack up a ton of punchouts. Justin Wrobleski is expected to pitch behind Ohtani in bulk relief.
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Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Expected to pitch Sunday
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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani is expected to make his next start as a pitcher Sunday versus the Astros, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Ohtani made his third start this past Saturday against the Royals, tossing two scoreless innings and 27 pitches as an opener. He could build up to three or four innings Sunday, but Justin Wrobleski is in line to work in bulk relief behind him and will be the Dodgers pitcher most likely to qualify for a win that day.
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Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Pushes workload to two frames
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Ohtani allowed one hit and issued one walk while striking out one batter over two scoreless innings in a no-decision against the Royals on Saturday. He also went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts as a batter.
While Ohtani didn't have his highest pitch count of the campaign -- his 27 pitches Saturday were one fewer than he accumulated during his season debut on the mound June 16 -- he took another step forward by tossing more than one inning for the first time as a Dodger. The two-way star also made a strong statement about how far he's come in his recovery from Tommy John surgery by pumping in a 101.7 mph fastball -- the fastest of his career. Ohtani now was three starts under his belt as a pitcher this season, allowing one run on three hits with a 3:1 K:BB over four innings. He'll likely continue to build up gradually, so fantasy managers should still view him as an opener during his turns in the rotation until he gets a longer leash to pitch deeper into games.
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Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Could go deeper as pitcher Saturday
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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that the team plans to have Ohtani pitch into the second inning Saturday, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.
In both of Ohtani's first two starts, he completed exactly one inning, tossing 28 pitches in the first of those appearances and 18 in the second. Though Roberts stated that Ohtani could get a chance to exceed one frame Saturday, that will likely depend on how hard he has to work in the first inning. It's unlikely that the two-way superstar will go beyond two frames, so he should not be expected to qualify for a win no matter how well he pitches.
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Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Homers again Thursday
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Ohtani went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Thursday's 3-1 win over the Rockies.
Ohtani's bat is heating up again, as he's gone 5-for-14 with three homers and eight RBI over his last four games. A trip to Colorado's thin air to visit the Rockies' poor pitching certainly helps the cause. Ohtani is up to 28 homers on the year, including six over 24 contests in a relatively tame June for the superstar. He's added a .291/.392/.633 slash line, 52 RBI, 80 runs scored, 12 doubles, six triples and 11 stolen bases across 80 games this season. Ohtani will look to keep mashing as the Dodgers begin a three-game road trip in Kansas City, which is also expected to include his next pitching appearance this weekend.
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Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Belts 27th homer
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Ohtani went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run during Tuesday's 9-7 win over the Rockies.
Ohtani delivered a two-run home run off Ryan Rolison in the sixth inning to give the Dodgers an 8-3 lead. Since the start of June, Ohtani is 23-for-86 (.267) with five homers, three doubles and two triples over 22 games. He's one of three players in baseball with an OPS above 1.000.
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Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Throws perfect inning, hits homer
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Ohtani threw a perfect inning with two strikeouts and went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, a three-RBI triple and two additional runs scored during Sunday's 13-7 win over the Nationals.
Ohtani surrendered a run and two hits in his 2025 pitching debut, but he rebounded with a dominant first inning Sunday. The two-way star showcased exactly why he's one of the most valuable players in baseball, adding to the stellar pitching by plating five runs and reaching safely three times. The performance marked Ohtani's second game this season with five-plus RBI and snapped a 2-for-19 (.105) slump that occurred over his past five games. With 26 home runs, he trails only Cal Raleigh (31) and Aaron Judge (27) in home runs in 2025.
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Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Next pitching start set for Sunday
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Ohtani is scheduled to make his next start as a pitcher Sunday against the Nationals in Los Angeles.
Ohtani will begin his time as a two-way player with the Dodgers with a two-start pitching week, but just like when he made his mound debut in Monday's win over the Padres, the right-hander is expected to serve as an opener this Sunday. After tossing one inning and 28 pitches Monday, Ohtani could push up to the 2-to-3-inning range and toss around 40 pitches against the Nationals, though the Dodgers haven't provided official word on what his workload might look like. According to Matthew Moreno of DodgerBlue.com, manager Dave Roberts did note that Ben Casparius would "most likely" pitch behind Ohtani again, after Casparius previously earned the win Monday while covering 3.2 innings out of the bullpen. The Dodgers' goal is for Ohtani to gradually get stretched out enough to handle a typical starter's workload without needing to be followed by a bulk reliever, though it will probably take him at least a couple more outings for him to get there.
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Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Reaches 100.2 mph in pitching debut
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Ohtani completed one inning in a no-decision during Monday's 6-3 win over the Padres, allowing one run on two hits with no walks or strikeouts. He also went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk and two RBI as a hitter.
Thus begins the two-way Ohtani era in Los Angeles. While the revered superstar showed some rust in his Dodgers debut as a pitcher -- he threw just 16 of 28 pitches for strikes and allowed the first two batters he faced to reach base, one of whom came around to score -- he also topped out at 100.2 miles per hour on his fastball and deployed four different pitch types. In addition, Ohtani -- who became the third National League player since 1900 to start a game as a pitcher and serve as his team's leadoff hitter -- plated more runs than he gave up, crushing an RBI double in the third inning and adding a run-scoring single in the fourth. It's important to remember that Ohtani's initial game appearances are the equivalent of what would be a minor-league rehab stint for most pitchers -- he hadn't thrown a pitch in the majors since 2023 prior to Monday, but his status as a star hitter prevents him from going on an actual rehab assignment. With that in mind, it's probably going to take Ohtani several appearances to build up to a normal starter's workload, and he'll likely continue to work in the equivalent of an opener role in the short term. Per Matthew Moreno of DodgerBlue.com, the Dodgers plan on having Ohtani make starts as a pitcher every six or seven days, so he should be back on the mound for the final game of the Dodgers' homestand Sunday versus Washington.
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Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Cleared for first pitching start
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The Dodgers announced that Ohtani (elbow) will serve as the team's starting pitcher for Monday's game against the Padres.
For the first time since making his last appearance as a pitcher with the Angels on Aug. 23, 2023 before undergoing his second career Tommy John surgery less than a month later, Ohtani will step back on an MLB mound. The Dodgers initially planned to have Ohtani throw at least one more simulated game this week before potentially clearing him to serve as a two-way player, but the right-hander reportedly pushed to resume pitching in MLB games, and the front office and medical staffs were comfortable honoring the request, per DodgerBlue.com. Though Ohtani tossed 44 pitches over three innings in his most recent sim game this past Monday, manager Dave Roberts said that the 30-year-old will operate as an opener in his first start, according to Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register. With that in mind, Ohtani might be limited to 1-to-2 innings Monday, and he'll likely be built up gradually over the course of multiple outings before he's capable of handling a traditional starter's workload. In the meantime, Ohtani will continue to serve as the Dodgers' everyday designated hitter on his non-pitching days. He closed out the weekend on a high note, going 3-for-3 with a walk and two runs in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Giants.
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Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Set for pitching debut this week
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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after Sunday's 5-4 win over the Giants that it's a "high possibility" that Ohtani (elbow) makes his Dodgers debut as a pitcher during the team's upcoming four-game series against the Padres that begins Monday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports. Ohtani served as the Dodgers' designated hitter Sunday and went 3-for-3 with a walk and two runs.
Earlier Sunday, Roberts told Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register that Ohtani would throw another live batting practice session this week before potentially pitching in a game, but the skipper has apparently seen enough from the 30-year-old to turn him loose. Ohtani's last appearance as a pitcher came in August 2023 with the Angels before he underwent Tommy John surgery a month later, but he's finally ready to be a two-way player again. Considering that Ohtani built up to 44 pitches in his most recent live BP outing, he won't be stretched out enough to serve as a traditional starter, so he's expected to operate as more of an opener at first. Ohtani is likely to get gradually stretched out over a series of appearances before he would be able to handle a five-inning workload.
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Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Closing in on pitching debut
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Manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that Ohtani (elbow) will throw another live batting practice session early this week, which may "potentially" be the right-hander's final live throwing session before he makes his Dodgers debut as a pitcher, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
Ohtani -- who remains in the lineup at designated hitter and as the Dodgers' leadoff batter in Sunday's game against the Giants -- built up to 44 pitches and three innings in his most recent live BP outing Tuesday, per MLB.com. He'll likely be targeting around 50 or 55 pitches in his upcoming throwing session, and if all goes well, Ohtani may finally be given the green light to operate as a two-way player for the first time since Aug. 23, 2023, when he made his last appearance as a pitcher for the Angels before undergoing his second career Tommy John surgery just under a month later. Because Ohtani won't be fully stretched out for a traditional starter's workload by the time he's cleared to make his debut on the mound, Roberts said that the 30-year-old will initially be used as a multi-inning opener in bullpen games and will gradually build up his pitch counts.
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Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Hits 25-homer mark with two blasts
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Ohtani went 2-for-3 with two solo home runs, two walks and three total runs scored in Saturday's 11-5 win over the Giants.
Ohtani was off to a bit of a quiet start in June, going just 11-for-48 (.229) with four extra-base hits and a 4:14 BB:K over his first 12 games of the month. He got things back on track with a big performance Saturday, which included a leadoff homer in the bottom of the first inning as well as a second solo shot in the sixth. Ohtani leads the National League with 25 homers and is one behind Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh for the major-league lead. Ohtani has added a .290/.385/.638 slash line, 41 RBI, 71 runs scored, 11 stolen bases, 11 doubles and five triples across 69 contests.
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Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Fine after HBP, live BP postponed
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Ohtani (foot/elbow) is expected to be fine after being hit by a pitch in Sunday's 7-3 win over the Cardinals, but the team will postpone his upcoming live BP session until Tuesday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
Ohtani was struck in the left foot by an 86.7 mph sweeper from reliever Matt Svanson in the top of the eighth inning, ultimately remaining in the game. The 30-year-old was set to face live hitters Monday as he continues to work his way back to the mound in 2025, but that session will now be pushed back another day. Ohtani's foot doesn't seem to be an issue, so he can be considered a full go ahead of Monday's series opener with the Padres in San Diego.
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Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Next sim game moved to Monday
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Ohtani (elbow) will next throw to live hitters Monday in San Diego, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
Ohtani was on schedule to throw to hitters this weekend in St. Louis, but with rain in the forecast and day games both Saturday and Sunday, the Dodgers are opting to push the session back a few days in order to take advantage of better weather and timing. In Ohtani's previous sim game, he threw 29 pitches and topped out at 97 mph with his fastball while deploying his full arsenal. Ohtani is loosely slated to throw to hitters each weekend, and it's unclear how moving this session to Monday will impact his throwing schedule moving forward.
