Dodgers News: Dodgers Unsure of Ohtani’s Spring Pitching Ramp-Up, But Friedman Confident in Rotation Start
Friedman noted the team is still discussing how Ohtani will build up innings during the WBC, but reaffirmed confidence he’ll open the season in the Dodgers’ rotation.
GLENDALE, AZ—Today marked the first official full squad workout for the back-to-back World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, and unlike last spring, two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani was a full go on the mound.
Earlier today, Ohtani along with fellow Japanese teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto faced hitters today at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona, a much earlier date as Ohtani did not achmolishh that feat until the regular season in 2025.
However, as expected, with the 2026 World Baseball Classic coming up in March, Ohtani and others came to camp to prepare for the international tournament. Unlike in 2023, Ohtani will not make an appearance on the mound, as he and the Dodgers confirmed during DodgerFest.
That raises the question of how Ohtani will continue to build up his arm and be ready to join the Dodgers’ Opening Day rotation, a question Dodgers President of Baseball Operations had to answer today at camp.
According to Katie Woo of The Athletic, despite likely not appearing in a Cactus League game on the mound, the Dodgers still expect Ohtani to be ready for the mound by the start of the regular season.
Ohtani mentioned that after his workout on Friday, he had completed three bullpen sessions this spring. Regarding his throwing schedule with Team Japan, he admitted he wasn’t quite sure how realistic it would be.
“So I’m going to try to ramp up as much as I can,” Ohtani added through interpreter Will Ireton. “The goal is to be able to ramp up to the point where I’m throwing live BPs.”
The readiness of Ohtani to start the regular season for the Dodgers’ starting rotation could be very important if the team chooses to ease the workload for Yamamoto, and left-hander Blake Snell, who is also looking more doubtful for Opening Day.
Still, the Dodgers have tremendous depth in their pitching department with Roki Sasaki, River Ryan, Gavin Stone, and Emmet Sheehan all looking for larger roles than they had last season.
The World Baseball Classic begins on March 5th and is set to end on March 17th, just a bit under two weeks before the start of the regular season, should Team Japan advance that far.
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