The Los Angeles Dodgers will be getting the full Shohei Ohtani experience sooner than expected.
Ohtani has been working his way back to pitching form since his Sept. 2023 surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.
Ohtani, who has been pitching to live hitters since May, hinted over the weekend that his Dodgers pitching debut was near.
The Dodgers took all of one day to announce an official return date. The team posted Sunday night that Shohei was scheduled to pitch on Monday night against the San Diego Padres opposite ace Dylan Cease.
Ohtani was so dominant at the plate in his first season with the Dodgers that some fans may have forgotten what he can do on the mound.
The two-way star had a 3.01 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP across 86 starts during his time with the Los Angeles Angels.
He led the American League with 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings during the 2022 campaign.
Ohtani’s return as a pitcher could not have come at a better time for the Dodgers.
Injuries to key names such as Roki Sasaki, Tyler Glasnow, and Blake Snell have decimated the team’s vaunted pitching staff.
With Ohtani about to pitch and Clayton Kershaw pitching like it’s 2015, the Dodgers could start to take control of the National League once again.
