Cody Snavely
For the third consecutive season, the Los Angeles Dodgers will have a full-time designated hitter, with the last two seasons being held down by two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, who the club inked to a massive 10-year, $700 million contract last winter.
As long as Ohtani remains a two-way player, he will continue to hold the position for the foreseeable future. With Ohtani set to retake the mound this upcoming season, it will be interesting to see how his offensive numbers look in 2025 compared to 2024.
What’s Next for Ohtani in Year Two?
The 2024 Major League Baseball season could not have gone any better for the Los Angeles Dodgers in year one of Ohtani. The then two-time American League Most Valuable Player Award winner transitioned to the National League smoothly, setting career highs in home runs, RBI, stolen bases, batting average, and hits.
Ohtani’s first season in Dodger Blue was historic. The six-year veteran took advantage of being a full-time designated hitter last season. Ohtani wreaked havoc on the basepaths, stealing fifty-nine bases while also clobbering fifty-four home runs, creating the 50/50 club.
Ohtani’s production at the plate was at an all-time high, having a .310/.390/.646 slash line, a 1.036 OPS, 181 wRC+, and a National League-leading 9.1 fWAR. Ohtani also led the National League in batting average, OBP, SLG, OPS, OPS+, and home runs en route to his unanimous National League Most Valuable Player Award.
The production did not stop in the regular season as Ohtani and his power showed up on the biggest stage in the postseason, helping the Dodgers secure their eighth World Series Championship. But what can we expect in year two with the three-time MVP award winner returning to the mound and coming off offseason labrum surgery?
Per FanGraphs, the two-way slugger is projected to take a step back regarding offensive production compared to his historic 2024 regular season. Still, Ohtani, 30, is expected to have a slash line of .285/.376/.579, a .955 OPS, 161 wRC+, forty-two home runs, 116 RBIs, and thirty-six stolen bases, resulting in 5.8 projected fWAR.
The bigger question is whether Ohtani will miss any time when he is ready to rehab as a starting pitcher. Will the Dodgers send him on a rehab assignment? And how much time will the Dodgers try to keep Ohtani off his feet and healthy down the stretch?
The answers to all of those questions will undoubtedly impact his 2025 season statistics, but rest assured, if anyone can come back from Tommy John surgery, labrum surgery, and a short offseason, it will be the unicorn that is Shohei Ohtani.
Other Options
If Ohtani has to miss an extended period of time or a rest day in between starts, the Dodgers have plenty of internal options to take over as designated hitter.
Before the Dodgers signed a full-time designated hitter, they often incorporated Max Muncy and Will Smith to give them rest but keep their bats in the lineup. The Dodgers could also use an open designated hitter spot for platoon players such as Miguel Rojas, Andy Pages, James Outman, and others within the organization.
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