Shohei Ohtani Says He’s Unlikely to Pitch Again This Season, Will Focus on Hitting

Shohei Ohtani returned to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ lineup Monday night, but the two-way star said after the game that he is unlikely to pitch again this season and will focus on hitting the rest of the way.

That makes his return more significant than a routine lineup update. The Dodgers appear set to keep Ohtani’s bat in the order while shelving any plan to resume his two-way workload in 2026 after a late-August throwing setback. Ohtani started at designated hitter in a 6-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Sept. 7 after missing four straight games, going 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts.

Asked after the game whether he expected to pitch again in 2026, Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton, “Most likely, no.”

In his first media availability in about three weeks, Ohtani added, “I’m going to be focusing on hitting moving forward.”

He also called the situation “Disappointing.”

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the club’s thinking is to simplify Ohtani’s workload and let him concentrate on offense.

“That’s one part of the thought ... to sort of take the pitching off of his plate and really try to let him lock in on being a hitter and get on track,” Roberts said.

The decision follows a season in which Ohtani has managed multiple physical issues while trying to balance both roles. MLB reported that he has been dealing with chest, biceps and left-knee issues since June, with the left knee soreness the main reason he has not pitched since July 3. His last pitching appearance came that day.

Ohtani had restarted a throwing program on Aug. 8, but MLB reported that he last threw on Aug. 28, when he experienced a setback late in the buildup. The Dodgers also considered placing him on the injured list, according to MLB, but pitchers and two-way players are subject to a 15-day minimum stay, which would have removed his bat from the lineup as well.

Even without returning to the mound, Ohtani remains one of the Dodgers’ most important hitters. At the time of his return, he had a .902 OPS — on-base plus slugging, a common measure of offensive production — with 30 home runs this season. On the mound, he had a 1.79 ERA in 14 starts.

For the Dodgers, ending Ohtani’s pitching season is a meaningful late-year shift. Ohtani is the sport’s premier modern two-way player, and he has been pitching under careful management after a revision elbow procedure in September 2023, a backdrop that helps explain the team’s caution after the latest setback.

Ohtani said he wants to treat the rest of this season as a chance to move forward, with the goal of returning to the mound next year.

“But I want to make sure that when I look back this season, that I used this as a learning experience and make sure that I use that as something to improve upon for next season,” he said.