Shohei Ohtani has been one of the most productive hitters in all of baseball this season for the Dodgers. But on Monday, he will give the organization even more production as he returns to the mound for the first time in nearly two years.
Ohtani hasn’t pitched in a game as a member of the Dodgers, which is due to his second Tommy John surgery that he underwent in September of 2023.
However, after a long road to recovery and an extensive rehab process, Ohtani is finally set to show his dual-threat ability as a member of the Dodgers in Monday’s matchup against the San Diego Padres.
According to ESPN reporter Alden González, Ohtani will make his season debut on the mound for the Dodgers on Monday night.
The Dodgers have obviously already benefitted greatly from Ohtani’s presence since signing him to a massive 10-year, $700 million contract in December of 2023. But amazingly, to this point, Ohtani hasn’t even been able to give the Dodgers everything that he has offered over the course of his career.
Ohtani’s skills at the plate are seemingly a bit more valuable than his skills on the mound. But a career 3.01 ERA on the mound in his five years pitching for the Los Angeles Angels certainly is nothing to scoff at by any means. Though it is perhaps fair to question whether Ohtani will be the same pitcher in his return to the mound. After all, there are plenty of pitchers who never come back the same after a second Tommy John surgery.
Whether Ohtani is quite as dominant on the mound as he once was or not, it will be fascinating to see Ohtani both pitching and hitting for the foreseeable future for the Dodgers, who currently sit atop the NL West with a 43-29 record on the year.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.