GLENDALE, Ariz. — As much as Shohei Ohtani relished the opposite-field home run he crushed Friday night in his first at-bat this spring, the reigning National League MVP left the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ 6-5 win over the Los Angeles Angels feeling even better about how his surgically repaired left shoulder withstood its biggest test yet.
“Regardless of the results, I think the biggest takeaway was being able to go through my three at-bats without any issues,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. “Physically, it felt really good.”
Ohtani’s first-inning homer off countryman Yusei Kikuchi electrified the crowd at Camelback Ranch that packed the stands to see the 30-year-old in his first action since the Dodgers won the World Series. He spent the winter rehabilitating after arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder suffered diving into second base during Game 2.
The hope for Ohtani to be at full strength before the Dodgers and Chicago Cubs kick off the Major League Baseball season March 18 in his home country of Japan grew closer to reality Friday. When Ohtani ascended the dugout steps at 6:08 p.m. local time, fans greeted him with a cheer and watched him take three practice swings before stepping into the batter’s box accompanied by a louder ovation.
He started the at-bat from Kikuchi, who graduated from the same high school as Ohtani, by staring at a 95 mph fastball for a strike. Ohtani took a curveball for a ball, swung through another for a strike, stared at one more low and didn’t bite on an outside fastball before taking a 94 mph fastball into the Dodgers’ bullpen in left field.
“Obviously he’s fine,” Kikuchi said. “After that first home run he was able to hit that far, yeah, I’m sure he’s going to be able to put up the same numbers this year.”
Those numbers in 2024 — .310/.390/.646 with 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases — helped Ohtani win his third MVP. While the first two came in years when he served as designated hitter and starting pitcher, Ohtani did not pitch last year following Tommy John surgery.
The shoulder injury complicated a rehab that already was difficult after a second elbow reconstruction. In-game swings were a significant mile marker for Ohtani, and he said he felt “no discomfort,” a comforting feeling for him and everyone else in the clubhouse of the team hoping to be the first club this century to win back-to-back World Series.
“You would assume there’d be some residual soreness or pain or lack of strength,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, “but he’s put in a lot of work, so it’s good to hear.”
Batting leadoff and playing DH, Ohtani popped out to shortstop in his second at-bat against Kikuchi and struck out against Chase Silseth before exiting the game following the fifth inning. Ohtani said between in-game action and simulating live arms against the Trajekt pitching robot, he would like to have 50 at-bats before the opener in Japan. For now, he said, his swing is in a good place.
“It’s a constant feedback between how I feel and how the swing actually looks,” Ohtani said. “So today was pretty good. I felt like it was pretty consistent with what I felt. So as I’m doing my rehab as well, I’m going to continue to do that.”
The rehab on Ohtani’s elbow, in the meantime, will continue, as he targets returning to a big league mound sometime in May. Ohtani will sit out the Dodgers’ game Saturday, Roberts said, and is expected to be back in the lineup Sunday when a split-squad Chicago White Sox team will try to figure out what the Angels couldn’t: how to keep Ohtani in check.
“He does not cease to amaze,” Roberts said. “I was telling [Dodgers free agent signing Michael] Conforto, every time Shohei gets up to bat, you’ve got to watch because something special could happen. And obviously there was a lot of anticipation for this night, and for him to homer his first at-bat off Kikuchi was pretty special.”