Fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers can wince in horror at Shohei Ohtani‘s latest social media update as the MLB star reveals he’s still struggling with his elbow and shoulder, months after he was forced out of the World Series.
Spring Training is on the horizon and the Dodgers will be gunning to defend their status as champions from the likes of the New York Yankees, San Deigo Padres and Boston Red Sox but they could face a big setback.
Their 30-year-old star, who made 51 home runs and 51 stolen bases in 2024, admitted he still feels ginger in his shoulder after undergoing surgery, which could force him away from pitching once again.
“Just a limited range of motion. I’ve gone through it with the elbow before,” Ohtani said of his progress. “And with the shoulder, it’s a little bit more complicated.
“I do believe that’s the part that I have to be patient.”
Will Shohei Ohtani pitch in 2025?
However, even if he feels like he’s close to pitching then it isn’t a priority for the Dodgers to rush him back into the role. Alongside the ace, who has a career 3.01 earned run average, they also boast the likes of Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw, Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
In fact, Dave Roberts already knows he can depend on his arsenal because Ohtani never threw a single ball throughout the entire 2024 season after being banned from pitching following UCL surgery for a problem sustained with the Los Angeles Angels.
But an encouraging video posted by Jack Harris to X.com, formerly Twitter, showed the National League MVP in batting practise and he had no issues connecting with the ball throughout a 40-second clip.
So even if Ohtani can’t pitch for a while, fans should still expect to see him crushing homers once again at the Tokyo Dome in Japan when their season officially kicks off against the Chicago Cubs on March 18.
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