Will Shohei Ohtani pitch next year? Exploring $700,000,000 superstar's chances of gracing the mound in 2024

What makes Shohei Ohtani's record contract a cut above the rest is his ability to be a two-way player. The Japanese sensation is a generational talent that the MLB hasn't seen since the likes of Babe Ruth. However, following a second Tommy John surgery, 'The Sho' will not be pitching in the 2024 season.

A $700 million contract was offered to Ohtani by the Los Angeles Dodgers because they saw the value they would get out of him in the long run. Not just one of the strongest at-bats in the game, the 29-year-old has consistently performed on the mound.

After a record-breaking 2017 when he won the Rookie of the Year award for his two-way prowess, Ohtani was shut off for an entire year in 2019 from the mound because of a Tommy John surgery. His return to pitching in 2020 was also short-lived because of a tendon injury but since then, there has been no looking back.

In the last three years, Ohtani has won two AL MVPs on the back of his batting and pitching. On the mound, he has started 86 times, recording an ERA of 3.01 with 608 strikeouts in 481.2 innings. He recorded 38-19 when the Los Angeles Angels struggled to even record a .500 season.

However, last season during his 23rd start against the Cincinnati Reds, Shohei Ohtani was taken off the mound after 1.1 innings. He was reported to have torn a muscle in his UCL and would undergo surgery towards the latter stages of the regular season.

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Shohei Ohtani's place in the 2025 Los Angeles Dodgers rotation

Shohei Ohtani will be in the lineup but not in the starting rotation for the Dodgers in 2024. When he returns to pitching in 2025, he will be followed by an inexperienced bunch of young starters who will look to make the most of their chances. Along with Ohtani, Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May are also set to return from injuries that will add some potency to a washed-up rotation.