"Ohtani will have limited time in Glendale, Arizona, due to the World Baseball Classic, so he has already been active in the bullpen, going through his pitching motions. This spring is the first time Ohtani has had preparation time as both a hitter and a pitcher. During his first two seasons with the Dodgers, he entered the preseason recovering from Tommy John surgery, which limited his throwing and forced him to focus strictly on his hitting."
"Ohtani will now start training camp in his dual role; however, he will leave early to join Team Japan in their preparations for the 2026 WBC, where he will only be hitting rather than pitching. The tournament has thrown a wrench in his plans despite being healthy, leaving some mystery about what his true workload will be in spring training."
"Manager Dave Roberts was asked if Ohtani would realistically get a chance to start a game before departing, but he seemed to be just as confused as Dodgers fans. "It's possible. It sort of depends on how long he's going to be with us. So I don't really know exactly," Roberts said. "I don't think he has a date yet on when he's going to join Team Japan. So that's kind of up in the air right now.""
Shohei Ohtani reported for the Dodgers' first full day of Spring Training in Glendale, Arizona. He will have limited time with the club because he will join Team Japan for the 2026 World Baseball Classic. He has already been active in the bullpen and has gone through pitching motions. This spring is the first time he has prepared as both a hitter and a pitcher after two seasons limited by Tommy John recovery. He will leave early to join Team Japan, where he will only be hitting. Manager Dave Roberts said the timing is uncertain and that Ohtani could possibly start a Cactus League game depending on his availability, and Roberts expressed surprise and approval of Ohtani's command in his limited pitching sample.
Read at Dodgers Nation
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