Perhaps no player in the MLB will be more intriguing to watch than Yoshinobu Yamamoto this season. The 25-year-old rookie who lit up Japan for the last six years is inching closer to his debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but first, he'll make a few starts during spring training.

Yamamoto is already impressing his teammates in camp and fooling them as well during live batting practice. The new Dodgers ace is excited to pitch in a real game setting soon.

“I’ve been feeling good,” Yamamoto said through interpreter Hiro Sonoda. “I’m just pretending this is a real game. Probably the next step will be a real game that I throw.”

“I’m looking forward to pitching in the Cactus League. I’m taking this seriously and getting myself ready for the regular season.”

Yamamoto will likely pitch on Tuesday or Wednesday, per Juan Toribio. He's expected to make his MLB debut for the Dodgers during the team's season-opening two-game series against the San Diego Padres in Seoul, South Korea on March 20 and 21.

Yamamoto is just one of several impact players the Dodgers added this season. That list includes now two-time MVP Shohei Ohtani, who will pair nicely with Yamamoto in LA's rotation in 2025 once the former recovers from elbow surgery.

The Dodgers gave Yoshinobu Yamamoto the largest contract to a pitcher in major league history before he ever stepped foot on a mound in the MLB. The expectations are through the roof for his rookie season as well as the entirety of his 12-year contract.

Yamamoto is supposed to be an ace and will be expected to pitch like one from the jump. If he does, the Dodgers got a whole lot better and then some.