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.
Rumor mill:MLB free agent rumors drag into spring but no need to panic | Nightengale's Notebook
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.
USA Today's Bob Nightengale reports there we should see the star suit up in a preseason game soon: "Ohtani is expected to make his Dodgers’ spring-training debut Tuesday at Camelback Ranch."
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."
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.
MLB free agency:Cody Bellinger re-signs with Chicago Cubs on three-year, $80 million deal
2024-12-25 10:582044 view
2024-12-25 10:142156 view
2024-12-25 10:052802 view
2024-12-25 09:512075 view
2024-12-25 09:33411 view
2024-12-25 09:112206 view
On Sept. 5, 1972, Munich's Summer Olympics morphed in a gut-wrenching instant from the world's bigge
PARIS – Team USA beach volleyball players Chase Budinger and Miles Evans kept their Olympics alive o
We independently selected these deals and products because we love them, and we think you might like