When spring training started for the Los Angeles Dodgers, it was reported that Shohei Ohtani would be a bit behind his teammates as he recovered from offseason elbow surgery.
The procedure repaired some ligament issues stemming from a late-season injury last year, when he was a member of the Los Angeles Angels.
As a result, Ohtani won’t pitch in 2024.
Teams already knew that when he entered free agency, yet that didn’t stop the Dodgers from throwing $700 million at him.
He will be a fixture almost every day as a hitter, though, and the entire league knows he can make quite an impact in that role.
Even when he was “behind” the rest of his teammates at camp, there was footage of Ohtani hitting the cover off the ball.
L.A. has been playing spring training games since late last week, without the Japanese sensation.
When will he make his debut?
Well, the team reported that information on Monday.
“Shohei Ohtani will make his Cactus League debut on Tuesday vs. the White Sox at Camelback Ranch,” they tweeted.
Shohei Ohtani will make his Cactus League debut on Tuesday vs. the White Sox at Camelback Ranch.
: https://t.co/b8tiTv8hbD pic.twitter.com/wG1NxStqT1
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) February 25, 2024
There you have it: baseball’s most unique player will return to action on Tuesday at home, at Camelback Ranch.
He will probably take a couple of at-bats to start and then call it a day.
The team had stated all along that Ohtani would be ready for Opening Day, and barring an unexpected development, that appears to be the case.
It will likely take him a couple of weeks to find his best swing, but hitters of his caliber don’t take long to get hot.
Fresh off his second MVP award, 44 home runs, and a 1.066 OPS last year, Ohtani will try to regain the same form but for his new squad.
The post Dodgers Reveal When Shohei Ohtani Will Debut appeared first on The Cold Wire.