The Los Angeles Dodgers plan to use Shohei Ohtani once again on the mound during the 2026 Major League Baseball season. Ohtani has been bothered by injuries the last few years, which limited his pitching with the team. Ohtani is showing no signs of injury, though, at Dodgers spring training on Tuesday.
The star was firing on all cylinders while working a throwing session.
“Shohei Ohtani hit 98 mph today in live BP,” The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya posted to X, formerly Twitter. Ardaya also shared a video of the hurler warming up.
Shohei Ohtani hit 98 mph today in live BP. https://t.co/EMTUWRKtoZ
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) February 17, 2026
Ohtani pitched a lot in the second half of the 2025 season for Los Angeles. The Dodgers won their second consecutive World Series, with Ohtani leading the way with his arm and bat.
In the 2025 regular season, Ohtani started 14 games for the Dodgers. He posted one victory and a 2.87 ERA. He didn't pitch during the 2024 campaign due to injury.
The Dodgers hope to win a third consecutive World Series in 2026
Ohtani is inarguably the focal point of the Dodgers' offense. He has plenty of help, as the team has spent buckets of money to build a championship roster. This offseason, the club added Kyle Tucker to its mix of already high-powered bats.
It will be interesting to see, moving forward, how the Dodgers decide to treat Ohtani as a pitcher. Roberts told reporters in recent days that Ohtani is not expected to pitch with LA in spring training games, before he heads to the World Baseball Classic.
“I don’t know when he’s going to leave us to join Team Japan, but there’s still gonna be ample time for him to get his progression here with us,” Roberts said, per Dodgers Nation. “To then, I’m sure (pitching coach) Mark (Prior) will be talking to the pitching coach over there and kind of, you know, stick to our plan, and we’ll be in lockstep.”
If Ohtani keeps throwing at nearly 100 miles an hour, it will be hard for Roberts to keep him off the mound. Spring training games for the Dodgers begin on Saturday when LA plays the Los Angeles Angels.




















