The Los Angeles Dodgers shelled out $700 million this offseason in order to secure Shohei Ohtani in free agency. The two-time American League MVP may not be able to pitch until 2025, but Ohtani is still a massive draw for MLB fans everywhere. With that in mind, it’s no wonder that fans have been anxiously waiting for Ohtani to make his spring training debut with the Dodgers.
Ohtani is taking his recovery slow though. Some days he does not even partake in batting practice despite being listed as a participant. It makes sense the Dodgers would want to take an overly cautious approach with the man they just spent more than half a billion dollars on. However, that makes it difficult to determine when Ohtani will finally see Cactus League action.
Here’s what we know.
When will Ohtani play in spring training?
On Friday, Feb. 23, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters that ‘the plan is at some point in time to get [Ohtani] into a Cactus League game next week.’
HOT STOVE UPDATES: MLB free agency: Ranking and tracking the top players available.
When Ohtani does make his debut, it will likely be a reflection of how the Dodgers’ lineup will look all season. Roberts said, ‘It’s a safe bet to assume Mookie Betts will hit leadoff, and the first lineup with Ohtani will be an indication of how the order is going to be.’
When will Yoshinobu Yamamoto make his debut?
It appears Ohtani and Yamamoto, the two biggest signings of the offseason, will not make their Dodgers debuts together. On Friday morning, it was reported that Yamamoto would not make his first spring training start until Monday, Feb. 26. That would put him in line to start against the Colorado Rockies, but would be too early to line up with Roberts’ timeline for Ohtani.
Dodgers schedule: Date, TV and time
Monday, Feb. 26 @ Rockies – 3:10 p.m. ET; TV – SportsNet LA
Tuesday, Feb. 27 v. White Sox – 3:05 p.m. ET; TV – SportsNet LA
Wednesday, Feb. 28 @ Rangers – 3:05 p.m. ET; TV – SportsNet LA
Thursday, Feb. 29 @ Reds – 8:05 p.m. ET; TV – SportsNet LA
Friday, Mar. 1 v. Guardians – 8:05 p.m. ET; TV – SportsNet LA, MLB Network (out of network)
Saturday, Mar. 2 v. Cubs – 3:05 p.m. ET; TV – SportsNet LA