Alex Rodriguez reveals how he feels about Shohei Ohtani taking the mound

Shohei Ohtani compiled a historic 50-50 campaign in his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024 to clinch the third MVP title of his stellar MLB career.

Following a historic season, there has been a buzz around the Japanese phenom's anticipated return to the mound. While Shohei Ohtani has been in sublime hitting form again this season, his pitching return is still without a set date.

New York Yankees legend Alex Rodriguez shared his feelings on the three-time MVP returning to the mound for the Dodgers for the first time this season. In conversation with former teammate Derek Jeter and Red Sox icon David Ortiz, Rodriguez said:

"His talent's off the charts, but if Ohtani gets hurt and makes it 15 pitchers on the IL, the season's over. So, for me, the risk and reward are not there."

The former MVP also listed Ohtani's history of two Tommy John surgeries as a potential reason to not let the Japanese phenom pitch this season.

"He's not a finesse pitcher. He's a power pitcher, fastball, tight slider split. He's already had two Tommy John surgeries. He had a separate shoulder injury in the World Series. I wouldn't let that lie. I would have a whole offseason and spring training to set him up physically, emotionally and mentally."

Shohei Ohtani takes another step forward slated pitching return

Although there is no set date for Shohei Ohtani's pitching return yet, the reigning NL MVP is getting closer to making his first start for the NL West team.

Ohtani faced live hitters before facing the New York Yankees on Saturday. It was the second time the Dodgers star faced live hitters as he faced 22 pitches last weekend.

The three-time MVP threw to seven batters from Single-A Rancho Cucamonga, and manager Dave Roberts was positive about his performance in simulated settings.

"He’s just using his entire arsenal, also with today doing the up-down, he’s certainly well beyond where he was in spring (training),” Roberts said.

While Shohei Ohtani's pitching return has Alex Rodriguez concerned, the Dodgers star is continuing his sublime hitting from last season, mounting another MVP-caliber season for the NL West team.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

Know More

Edited by Chaitanya Prakash