It's been a long wait, but Shohei Ohtani is finally ready to make his Los Angeles Dodgers debut on the mound.
The Dodgers announced late Sunday, June 15, that the reigning National League MVP, who underwent elbow surgery in September 2023 as a member of the Los Angeles Angels, will start tonight's game at Dodger Stadium against the San Diego Padres.
Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million free agent contract with the Dodgers following the 2023 season in which he pitched and hit his way to a second American League MVP award. However, the elbow injury put a temporary halt to his two-way heroics, and the Dodgers were very careful to bring him along slowly in his recovery.
While Ohtani has continued to hit at an MVP level -- he leads the National League with 25 home runs and a .642 slugging percentage -- he has been building up his arm strength on the side. That's because he can't go on a rehab assignment in the minors, as any other pitcher would before returning to a big-league mound, because his bat is much too valuable.
He has faced live hitters five times since being cleared to throw off a mound, throwing 44 pitches recently over three simulated innings.
