On a wild Sunday in Major League Baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers made waves by revealing Shohei Ohtani would make his return to the mound on Monday night.

Ohtani will make his first start since August 23, 2023 as a member of the Los Angeles Angels. It'll be the first time he takes the mound as a member of the Dodgers and ticket prices are reflecting that.

The average ticket price for Monday's Dodgers game against the San Diego Padres is $192, up 71% since it was announced, according to ESPN's Field Yates. Yates also says, per TickPick, the Dodgers sold four-times more tickets to the game compared to before.

Though the Dodgers say Ohtani is not yet built up to be a full starter, he can function now as a multi-inning opener and go from there. He has been recovering from UCL surgery, functioning as a full-time DH last year and so far this year.

Ohtani has been building up without pitching in rehab games, continuing to bat in the Majors for the reigning World Series champions. He began facing live batters in late May as his ramp-up accelerated.

“The live, simulated or whatever sort of ran its course,” manager Dave Roberts told the media on Sunday. “He's ready to make his debut on the mound.”

Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani remains one of the game's elite hitters

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Ohtani is coming off consecutive MVP campaigns, which included a 2024 season that was one of the best all-around seasons by a hitter ever. He became the only 50-50 player in baseball history, hitting 54 home runs and stealing 59 bases, all while leading the league in runs scored, RBI, on-base percentage and OPS.

He hasn't missed a beat in 2025. Ohtani hasn't been as active on the basepaths with only 11 steals, but he's leading the National League in home runs (25) while maintaining his league-leading status in runs scored and OPS.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Ohtani expressed excitement about going back to being a two-way player.

“I do feel like just being the two-way player I used to be is the norm,” he said. “Last year was the abnormal year for me, and it’s about getting back to what I used to do.”