PHOENIX — Even with a surgically-repaired shoulder and amid a second rehab from a major elbow ligament reconstruction, Shohei Ohtani looks just fine.
It took just one at-bat this spring for the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar and reigning National League MVP to show he’s doing just fine, working a full count against Angels left-hander Yusei Kikuchi before launching a no-doubter the other way for a home run, flinging his bat into the air before rounding the bases.
The Dodgers have slow-played Ohtani offensively after he underwent November surgery to repair the left (non-throwing) labrum in his left shoulder, which he injured during Game 2 of last year’s World Series, but have remained optimistic the issue wouldn’t impact him at the plate. Ohtani said the recovery from shoulder surgery was more complicated than previous surgeries he’s come back from with his right elbow, noting earlier this spring he was still trying to regain his range of motion.
He’s worked with the Dodgers’ staff on some swing adjustments this spring, looking to dial back into the form he showed in his first season with Los Angeles when he became the first player ever to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season.
If his first taste of game action Friday is any indication, things are going well.
Shohei Ohtani homers in his first at-bat of spring. Carry on. pic.twitter.com/OAta5xQGpw
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) March 1, 2025
“I think he can be as productive (as last year),” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Friday afternoon. “I don’t think he’s going to get the same number of at-bats, plate appearances, given that he’s going to be pitching. I don’t think he’s going to steal as many bases, just appreciating the fact that he does need to pitch and saving his legs. But as far as kind of performance per plate appearance, I still think he can be just as productive. And I’m sure Shohei is expecting the same thing.”
Ohtani had taken live at-bats on back fields twice this week, his first time seeing live pitching in the months since surgery. Both he and the Dodgers have been steadfast that Ohtani will lead off as the team’s designated hitter when they open the season on March 18 against the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo.
This, while still rehabbing as a pitcher. Ohtani has already thrown several bullpen sessions and touched 95 miles per hour this spring as he targets a return as soon as May. Roberts said earlier this spring that there’s a chance Ohtani resumes facing hitters before the club departs for Japan.
How things look from there remains to be seen. The Dodgers are expected to take much of their lead from what Ohtani’s schedule looked like with the Angels, where Ohtani both hit and pitched on the same days and dictated his schedule based on Ohtani’s feedback on how he was feeling. Naturally, that might mean some more time off after Ohtani took a National League-leading 731 plate appearances last season. It’ll also mean the days of Ohtani stealing 59 bases in a season are likely put on pause (especially after he injured the shoulder on an attempted steal).
“I think the only thing we have to go on is when he was with the Angels, and kind of doing the two-way thing with them,” Roberts said. “The world’s certainly a lot different now vs. then. I think for me, it’s kind of continued conversations. I just think it’s unfair to everyone to put a number on it where I really have no idea.”
Ohtani’s return is the biggest of a batch of notable Dodgers who are finally getting into Cactus League action after wearing the wounds of a long October run. Freddie Freeman made his spring debut on Thursday, going 1-for-3 with a single in his first game action just 12 weeks after the reigning World Series MVP underwent right ankle surgery.
Then there’s Will Smith, who was behind the plate for Dustin May’s start after taking things slow through the first few weeks of camp. He’d been limited from running but was able to do everything else, from catching bullpens to taking live at-bats, with a right ankle issue. It’s not new: Smith said earlier this spring that the ankle has bothered him dating back to last season.
Roberts confirmed Friday that the issue was actually a bone bruise.
“I just don’t think it’s something that’s going to go away any time soon,” Roberts said. “But it’s not impeding at all.”
Smith notably had just a .626 OPS after the All-Star break after an .838 OPS before it.
“We have a few things that have gone on, those things that catchers play through that don’t ever actually show up anywhere,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said of Smith last month. “I think there’s been some nagging stuff that has crept up and led to some bad habits here and there. … The nature of that position is really, really grueling and taxing. When you play at such a high level, when it comes down to ‘good’ instead of ‘elite,’ things stand out. We expect Will to be strong and some of the adjustments he made, to carry that production all the way through.”
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(Photo: Jeremy Chen / Getty Images)
