Dodgers Prioritise Shohei Ohtani’s Bat as Pitching Return Fades for 2026
Roberts Signals Effective Shutdown from the Mound
It has been over two months since Shohei Ohtani last threw a pitch in a Major League Baseball game, and Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has downplayed the prospect of the two-way star returning to the mound before the end of the 2026 season, either in the regular season or in the playoffs.
Roberts stopped short of formally declaring a shutdown for Ohtani as a pitcher, but pointed to the calendar and the lack of recent throwing volume as clear indicators that a meaningful comeback on the mound this year is highly unlikely. The manager noted that observers could “do the math” on how little Ohtani has thrown in the last week.
Ohtani has not thrown since a bullpen session on August 28, which had been mapped out as the final step before he was expected to start the Dodgers’ game against the Detroit Tigers the following Sunday. That scheduled appearance was designed as a one-inning assignment in an opener role, with a gradual build-up in subsequent outings to restore his arm strength over longer stints.
The wider aim for Los Angeles was to reach a point where Ohtani could at least be an option as a more conventional starter during the postseason, giving the Dodgers one of the sport’s most unusual weapons at the front of an already deep rotation.
Setback in Bullpen Session Alters Dodgers’ Pitching Plans
Those plans were derailed when Ohtani cut short the August 28 bullpen because of discomfort in his right knee and a sore right biceps. The setback prompted the Dodgers to hold him out of the lineup entirely for four consecutive games.
Despite that interruption, Roberts has indicated there is optimism that Ohtani can soon resume his role as the team’s designated hitter. Ohtani was described as “feeling well” after a batting practice session on Saturday, and the club views Monday as a realistic target for his return to DH duties.
The situation underscores the balancing act for the Dodgers: managing a player whose value spans both sides of the ball, at a time of year when clubs typically tighten their pitching plans and offensive depth charts for October. With Ohtani’s recent throwing stoppage and the timing of the postseason, the organisation now appears to have accepted that his contributions in 2026 will be confined to the batter’s box.
Two-Way Status Collides with MLB Roster Rules
Ohtani’s unique role has complicated the Dodgers’ roster management. Under Major League Baseball’s injured-list regulations, he must be placed on the 15-day injured list as a pitcher rather than on the 10-day list that applies to position players. That distinction is rooted in league rules that treat a player’s primary roster designation as the reference point for IL status, even when that player also serves as a full-time hitter.
If the 10-day option were available for Ohtani, it is plausible the Dodgers might already have used it retroactively to cover his recent absence. In this case, however, the club has faced a more difficult choice: either commit one of the game’s most productive bats to a 15-day IL stint or keep him active while managing his workload and recovery day by day.
With the expectation that he can return as a DH in the short term, a 15-day IL move would have risked unnecessarily sidelining a key offensive figure during a critical stretch of the season.
Offensive Dip Reflects Physical and Mental Load
While Ohtani’s availability as a hitter remains central to the Dodgers’ plans, his recent numbers at the plate highlight the strain he has been under. Over his last 109 plate appearances, he has produced a .200/.303/.400 slash line with four home runs, a clear step back from the elite offensive standard he has previously set.
This downturn roughly coincides with the period in which Ohtani resumed his throwing progression after an earlier shutdown triggered by knee soreness. The overlap suggests that managing a “moving target” of physical issues, rather than following the rigid structure of a defined elbow-ligament rehabilitation timetable he has experienced before, has placed added stress on him.
Attempting to ramp up on the mound while continuing to play regularly as a designated hitter would test any player. For Ohtani, whose value is tied to his rare two-way profile, the burden of trying to return as both an everyday bat and a postseason pitching option appears to have had consequences for his recent form.
Deep Rotation Allows Dodgers to Protect Ohtani
With the postseason approaching, the Dodgers’ calculations have shifted decisively toward preserving Ohtani’s offensive output rather than pursuing an accelerated return to the mound. The club already demonstrated in 2024 that it can win the World Series without Ohtani pitching at all, and the current rotation again gives management room to be conservative.
Los Angeles is positioned to enter October with a projected top four of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tarik Skubal, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow. Behind them, additional arms such as Roki Sasaki, Eric Lauer and Justin Wrobleski, among others, provide options to cover bulk innings and adapt to series-specific demands.
In that context, having Ohtani pitch in 2026 would have been more of a competitive luxury than a necessity. The Dodgers can structure their postseason staff around established starters and multi-inning options, while leveraging Ohtani’s bat in the middle of the order rather than risking a rushed return to the mound.
Postseason Strategy and Longer-Term Considerations
Within the structure of the MLB rulebook and the current postseason format, the decision to lean on rotation depth and protect a hitter of Ohtani’s calibre is strategically grounded. Clubs entering October must manage tightly defined series schedules, limited off-days and high-leverage bullpen usage, all of which reward having a reliable four-man rotation more than experimenting with an incomplete two-way return.
For the Dodgers, the immediate priority is to stabilise Ohtani’s production at the plate for the stretch run and the playoffs, rather than chase marginal pitching gains late in the year. For Ohtani, the current approach offers a path to manage his workload, address the knee and biceps issues that halted his throwing, and reset his offensive performance without the added strain of game-speed pitching.
In a roster already built around premium starting pitching and significant depth, the organisation’s stance effectively reframes Ohtani’s 2026 value as that of a middle-order force, with any return to formal two-way status deferred until it can be pursued on a more secure physical footing.