MLB insider Jon Heyman teases Shohei Ohtani’s likely Dodgers pitching debut

Shohei Ohtani is arguably the face of Major League Baseball right now given his utter dominance on the field and his lovable personality off of it. The Japanese superstar made his way to North America as one of the most exciting talents in the game and has lived up to that hype, already winning three MVP Awards throughout his career.

One of the ways that Shohei Ohtani has stood out from the rest of his generation has been is ability to dominant as both a batter and a pitcher. Unfortunately for Los Angeles Dodgers fans, they have yet to see the superstar take to the mound for the club as he was forced to undergo elbow surgery the same offseason that he signed with the team.

Well, there is a chance that Dodgers fans might not have to wait much longer. MLB insider Jon Heyman spoke about Ohtani on the latest episode of MLB Central. Although Heyman was unable to get into the specifics of Ohtani's potential return to the mound, he was able to provide some insight into the team's plans with their two-way superstar.

"Of course. The big question is Ohtani. I'm hearing a lot talk about the second half for him. They're kind of slow playing it because they can. They have the most bullpen innings of any team right now, 126 innings. They've got a great bullpen," Heyman explained.

Shohei Ohtani has not pitched in a game in Major League Baseball since 2023 when he was still a member of the Los Angeles Angels. That being said, Ohtani has been building himself up as a pitcher in anticipation of his long-awaited return to the mound.

The excitement began to build when Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers started their training camp this spring. Ohtani was seen working with the team's coaches and participating in pitching drills. Although it looked like he was getting close to his return, the team decided to slow down his work as a pitcher in order to shift his focus to his role as the team's full-time DH.

The Dodgers could use Shohei Ohtani back in the rotation sooner rather than later as the injuries have continued to pile up

Even though the Los Angeles Dodgers are slow playing Ohtani's return to the mound, the team could use their $700 million man back soon given the number of significant injuries that are already plaguing the club.

The team has already had to place superstar Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell on the IL this season, not to mention the number of quality arms that are already sidelined with various injuires. Clayton Kershaw, Tony Gonsolin, and Michael Kopech are also already on the IL. It will be interesting to see if the team looks to speed up Shohei Ohtani's return if the injuries continue to mount.