Shohei Ohtani is once again laying waste to MLB opposition, making the Los Angeles Dodgers even scarier. If he gets back to pitching, he'll be putting on an even greater show. But notice the use of the word “if” there, as it’s not a guarantee he will take to the mound again once he heals.

Ohtani is not pitching this season as he recovers from elbow surgery. Focusing all of his attention on the plate, even with a recovering arm, has generated unreal results. The degree to which this hot streak is the result of not worrying about pitching is unknown. But the results really are staggering.

If the Dodgers looked to transition to the outfield and have him give up pitching, he’s apparently open to the idea, according to Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY Sports.

Nightengale writes the following: “If the Los Angeles Dodgers ask Shohei Ohtani to give up pitching and be an everyday outfielder in the future, two persons familiar with Ohtani’s thinking say he’d likely be amenable. Ohtani obviously loves hitting, and is perhaps the best in the game to do it, but those close to him say that he doesn’t have the same passion for pitching as hitting. He does both simply because he can do it.”

Ohtani signed his mammoth contract because of his two-way talent. But if the Dodgers opt to let him focus on his hitting, they could have themselves the very best hitter in all of baseball for a long time and not have to worry about further damage to his arms.

Shohei Ohtani open to giving up pitching if Dodgers ask

Ohtani leads all of MLB in hits, OPS, OPS+, slugging percentage, doubles, total bases, and extra-base hits. He is second in batting average, tied-for-third in runs, fourth in on-base percentage and tied-for-fourth in home runs. Not bad!

The Dodgers also have Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernandez, Max Muncy and Will Smith raking at the plate, leading to an MLB-leading 5.37 runs per game and team-wide 125 OPS+. Ohtani is putting himself at the forefront of MVP talks with how unbelievably he's hitting.

Los Angeles is one of the premier pitching labs in baseball. Adding the spectacular arms of Yoshinobu Yamamoto Tyler Glasnow to a group of pitchers that have developed into high-level hurlers only made the machine stronger. Ohtani's pitching would be amazing to have but it isn’t needed. Unlike the Los Angeles Angels, where he was the staff ace and big bat, he doesn’t have to carry the whole load.

Ohtani has played in the outfield before, making seven appearances (six in right field, one in left) during the 2021 season with the Angels. He's fast enough to survive, if not thrive, out there. With James Outman patrolling center field, Ohtani can offer the DH spot for others and take turns playing in the corners.

The Dodgers have one of the best records in all of MLB thanks to Ohtani being a threat to do damage at any given plate appearance. Even if he doesn’t pitch for them, the historic contract is going to be well worth it.