Shohei Ohtani is taking things easy in Los Angeles Dodgers camp.
He is coming off of serious elbow surgery, which is why he probably won’t pitch in 2024.
As the Dodgers train at their camp in Glendale, Arizona, Ohtani is ramping up on his hitting.
Despite being a bit behind in comparison to his teammates, Ohtani keeps showing why he is so special.
He didn’t earn a $700 million contract by coincidence.
In Ohtani’s first live batting practice session, he belted a long home run in typical fashion, per the team on Twitter.
A Shohei homer in his first live BP session. pic.twitter.com/T9PUVNUMk3
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) February 19, 2024
Even while limited, you can see that beautiful swing in perfectly-timed motion.
His mechanics are still on point, which bodes well for his early-season availability.
Even if he is a bit behind at the moment, Ohtani is not expected to miss regular-season time as a hitter.
He will be part of an exciting Dodgers lineup that includes fellow MVP award winners Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.
Will Smith, Max Muncy, Gavin Lux, James Outman, Jason Heyward, Chris Taylor and other top hitters are also part of the explosive lineup.
The Dodgers won 100 games in 2023, but fell in the first round of the postseason.
That early-round exit forced an impressive spending spree that resulted in Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, James Paxton, Tyler Glasnow and other stars joining the team.
As long as Ohtani is healthy, the lineup will be a nightmare for opposing pitchers.
This is a player that has a career .922 OPS while playing on a mediocre team like the Los Angeles Angels.
Surrounded by stars, we will probably (and finally) watch Ohtani play in the postseason.
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