The Los Angeles Dodgers will enter the 2026 campaign in search of their third straight World Series title. All-Star Shohei Ohtani will undoubtedly be a major part of the team’s year, and might be even more impactful than he was last year.
ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez confirmed that Ohtani will be able to serve as a two-way player from the start of the new slate.
“Dodgers manager Dave Roberts on Shohei Ohtani, who will resume a full-time two-way role for the first time since 2023:,” Gonzalez tweeted.
“I think it’s fair to say he expects to be in the Cy Young conversation,” Roberts said.
Ohtani did not begin the 2025 season as an active pitcher, given that he was still recovering from a UCL injury, but was extremely effective once he returned to the bump.
Across 14 regular-season starts, he went 1-1 with a 2.87 ERA and a 1.90 FIP. In the postseason, Ohtani posted a 4.43 ERA over 20.1 innings of work. It would not be bold to assume that the 31-year-old can reach another level now that he’s fully healthy.
For Roberts, spring training is an opportunity for Ohtani and the rest of the squad to ensure they will be healthy enough to grind through a 162-game marathon.
“I do think that I’m prepared to use all six weeks to get guys up to speed and ready,” Roberts told Dylan Hernandez of the California Post. “It’s fair to say that it’s going to be a slower ramp-up for most guys because of the last two seasons that we’ve had to endure.”
It is virtually impossible to bet against Ohtani, and it would not be surprising to see his name in the Cy Young conversation this season.
