Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani two-way status under threat like never before

Shohei Ohtani has returned to the place in which he’s spent much of his career.

Backed into a corner. In a fight to protect his identity as a two-way player

Only this time, the instrument Ohtani used to overcome his previous obstacles has become his greatest impediment.

His body is breaking down.

Never before has his status as a two-way player been threatened to this degree, and Ohtani has to know that.

This could be the beginning of the end.

A season in which he was expected to scale unprecedented heights as a pitcher has instead turned into a season of survival, Ohtani now more than a month removed from his most recent start.

As expected, Ohtani is refusing to give him, reiterating to reporters on Wednesday that he intended to return to the mound this season. He made clear that the Dodgers’ trade for Tarik Skubal didn’t affect his view of his situation.

“It’s not up to me to make that calculation,” Ohtani said in Japanese. “That’s the job of the front office, the manager.”

If Ohtani somehow manages to pitch a game in the postseason, he very well could do so as an opener who takes down a couple of innings rather than as a regular starter.

With Skubal joining a rotation led by Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow working their way back from their respective injuries, the Dodgers will settle for whatever Ohtani can give them.

“Any innings we get from him are bonuses,” manager Dave Roberts said.

This can’t be what Ohtani had in mind for a revenge tour. His final game pitching last year was in Game 7 of the World Series and he nearly cost the Dodgers the championship, as he gave up three runs in only 2 ⅓ innings.

If Ohtani doesn’t deliver a signature pitching performance this year, when will he?

He’s 32, three years older than he was in the last season he started as a full-time two-way player. Physical changes have made it harder for him to absorb the poundings that he did when he was in his 20s. He hasn’t even played catch in a couple of weeks because of a sore left knee.

Ohtani has been throwing weighted balls indoors, but Roberts said he didn’t know when he would resume playing catch on the field. Roberts added that he didn’t know when he could throw a bullpen session or pitch in a game.

Whenever Ohtani returns, Roberts envisions him being on a program similar to the one he was last year when he made his comeback from his second Tommy John surgery. Ohtani used actual major league games to build up his arm, pitching an inning in each of his first two starts, two innings in his next two, and so forth.

Ohtani sounded as if he was on board with the plan, saying that he has resisted the instinct to rush back.

“I think throwing with intensity and taking a step back would be the worst thing,” he said. “I think it’s important to be able to have confidence that I can throw with a certain amount of effort without any problem and gradually build up from there.”

While Ohtani conceded that being placed on the injured list would give him the best chance to recover, he said he didn’t want to miss time because doing so could stop him from developing an offensive rhythm. In his last eight games, Ohtani batted .484 with four home runs.

“I can contribute as a member of the offense,” he said. “It’s not as if I’m playing much defense, so if someone were to say that I’m at a high risk (for injury), I don’t think that’s true. I think the possibility of me contributing to the team is higher than the small risk I take by playing.”

But if Ohtani doesn’t start pitching in games until some time in September, he might not have sufficient time to prepare to make a five- or six-inning start in the playoffs. In that case, would the Dodgers even start him if their four other Cy Young Award-caliber starters are available? Would they use this season as evidence for why they should enforce stricter guidelines on him as a pitcher next season?

The stakes will be enormous for a player who believes he is defined by his ability to play both ways.

In spring training of 2021, when Ohtani was playing for the Angels, he was called into a meeting by team officials. They said they wanted to eliminate the days off that were previously built into his schedule. 

Then-manager Joe Maddon said at the time that he wanted Ohtani to “just be a baseball player.” Ohtani questioned the organization’s motives. 

Ohtani wondered if this was the Angels’ way of forcing him to become either a full-pitch hitter or full-time pitcher after three injury-plagued seasons.

Whatever the team’s actual intentions, the suspicion powered Ohtani to the first of his four Most Valuable Player Awards.

Ohtani will be similarly motivated over the next couple of months. That’s a near certainty. What’s unknown is whether his body is still capable of delivering the kind of performances that will convince his team to let him continue doing what no other player has ever done. 

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