The Los Angeles Dodgers made Shohei Ohtani one of the highest-paid MLB players ever this winter, signing him both for his marketability and his unique skill set as a two-way player. However, the door seems to be open to Ohtani never pitching again.
Ohtani already underwent Tommy John surgery once in his career, getting the procedure in September 2018. While he avoided a second TJS midway through the 2023 season with the Los Angeles Angels, issues with his pitching elbow required surgery performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in September.
Related: MLB power rankings Week 7, see where Los Angeles Dodgers land
It’s the reason why Ohtani won’t pitch for the Dodgers in 2024. Los Angeles is more than comfortable bringing him along slowly, confident that arguably the best hitter in baseball can do more than enough to provide the value matching his contract.
While a return to the mind in 2025 with the Dodgers is the expectation, it appears the two-way phenom would be open to ending his pitching career entirely.
Related: MLB MVP race 2024, Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts battling
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, two persons familiar with Ohtani’s thinking have said that if the Dodgers asked him to stop pitching for good, the two-time American league MVP would “likely be amenable” to doing just that.
- Shohei Ohtani stats 2024 (ESPN): .352/.423/.667, 1.090 OPS, 11 home runs, 27 RBI, 9 stolen bases, 15 doubles, 33 runs scored, 2.6 Wins Above Replacement in 40 games played
Interestingly per Nightengale, Ohtani doesn’t have the same passion for taking the mound as he does hitting. In fact, sources close to him have said that Ohtani is only a two-way player because he’s capable of doing it, not because he loves doing both.
Related: Longest home run ever, longest homers in 2024
The Dodgers will certainly allow Ohtani to attempt resuming his career as a two-way player. Even if he wasn’t used as a starting pitcher anymore, a potential move to limit the workload on his arm, he could be an electric reliever out of the Dodgers bullpen.
For now, Ohtani will spend the 2024 season at the heart of the Dodgers lineup with his focus entirely on his work at the plate. When the time is right to return to the mound, he will, but it’s possible Ohtani might not be a two-way player for that much longer.