As the 2025 season unfolds, a familiar storyline is beginning to take shape for the Dodgers. One centered around a battered pitching staff and rising concerns about depth on the mound. If you remember, it’s the same as last year. Key arms such as Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and the highly anticipated Roki Sasaki have all landed on the shelf, leaving a once-formidable rotation looking vulnerable.
Now, the growing void has reignited a compelling and controversial question within Dodger circles. Could Shohei Ohtani return to pitching sooner than planned?
While Ohtani’s brilliance was a central pillar of the Dodgers’ blockbuster offseason, his recovery from elbow surgery was expected to sideline him from pitching duties until 2026. But as the rotation thins and pressure mounts, speculation is heating up. In a recent column, the Los Angeles Times’ Dylan Hernandez offered his take on the situation. He shed light on the Dodgers’ internal calculus and the risks that come with accelerating Ohtani’s return to the mound.
“As encouraged as the team is with his progress and as desperate as the Dodgers are for one of their sidelined frontline starters to return, they will continue to slow play Ohtani’s return to the mound, according to a person familiar with the team’s thinking but not authorized to speak publicly,” Hernández wrote.
Well, the Dodgers may crave Ohtani’s arm, but they unequivocally need his bat. And you will also agree that there is no alternative to Ohtani’s hitting. So, for now, the organization is unwilling to jeopardize his offensive production by rushing him back to the mound. That doesn’t mean a fast-tracked pitching return is off the table, but it does underscore where the team’s priorities lie.
Ohtani’s arm is thus getting preserved for the postseason!
Ohtani is now leading the hitting chart in the league with 17 HRs. The Dodgers are wise enough not to jeopardize that by pushing him to the mound. So, no matter who takes the ball every fifth day, the path to another World Series title will demand offense, and Ohtani is the centerpiece of that lineup. Before they can unleash Ohtani the pitcher, they have to protect Ohtani the hitter.
Remember that the Dodgers won the World Series last year without Ohtani’s pitching. Hence, his pitching could be replaced, but his batting? Nothing found!
Through just 48 games this season, Ohtani is reminding everyone why he’s one of the most electrifying forces in baseball. He’s slashing an eye-popping .304/.398/1.053 with 17 home runs, 31 RBIs, nine doubles, and four triples. Thus, as one of the league’s most valuable hitters, Ohtani’s bat remains too vital to risk by rushing his pitching comeback.
The Dodgers’ pitching lineup needs a fresh breath
Well, if you remember, we had an extensive discussion about how strong the Dodgers’ pitching lineup is. Heading into the 2025 season, the Dodgers boasted what looked like an embarrassment of riches on the mound. With five potential aces, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki, Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell, and Shohei Ohtani, the rotation was projected to be one of the most formidable in baseball!
But just two months in, that dream scenario has unraveled. Four of those five arms are currently sidelined, leaving only Yamamoto standing. Moreover, the depth that once seemed like a luxury is now a concern. And now the Dodgers find themselves scrambling for solutions as injuries once again threaten to derail their title hopes.
All they need a new blood in the lineup.
For starters, the Dodgers’ struggles with losing front-line starters are hardly new. Last season’s injury woes forced them to acquire Jack Flaherty at the trade deadline in a desperate bid for stability. What sets this year apart, however, is the glaring lack of reliable depth behind the main rotation arms.
While the returns of Tony Gonsolin and Clayton Kershaw have provided some relief, their presence can only go so far. Alongside the inconsistent Dustin May and the consistently mediocre Landon Knack, Gonsolin and Kershaw now form the rotation’s final line of defense. This leaves a little margin for error as the Dodgers navigate another injury-plagued campaign.
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