The Los Angeles Dodgers are coming off a World Series Championship but have another reason to be excited for spring training to begin. After not pitching during the 2024 season, Shohei Ohtani will add that back to his game that features one of baseball's most feared bats.

With Ohtani returning to the mound, he is making some changes to his approach, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. Ohtani will be mostly throwing out of a full windup after throwing out of the stretch with the Los Angeles Angels.

“As part of being a baseball player, I do want to explore different options, different avenues, to see if I could grow as a player. I do that on the pitching side as well as as a hitter,” Ohtani said.

If the new strategy goes well for Ohtani during spring training, he plans to use it during regular season games.

“That's my plan,” Ohtani said. “With increasing the intensity, I do want to see how the body responds, how I respond to it. As of now, that's the plan.”

Ohtani hit .310 with 54 home runs and 130 RBI last season, placing him No. 5, No. 2 and No. 2 in the MLB, respectively. He hopes to see his bat remain hot with him making his return to the mound.

Shohei Ohtani feels good about recovery

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) works with Los Angeles Dodgers assistant pitching coach Connor McGuiness (87) during a spring training bullpen session at Camelback Ranch.
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Star Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani is set to make his long-awaited return to the mound in 2025. After not pitching since 2023, the baseball world is anxious to see if his arm can keep up with his bat.

Ohtani is using live batting practice to simulate pitching in a real game as closely as possible, something that will allow him to get back in a rhythm.

“I've actually done this in the past when I had my past injury,” said Ohtani, via Sonja Chen of MLB.com. “So I’m not too concerned about it. It’s about just being able to confirm the ‘real-and-the-feel’ aspect of it as we go into different stages. That’s my No. 1 concern.”

Dodgers manager David Roberts explained how despite his progress, the team is taking Ohtani's recovery as carefully as possible.

“I think that with Shohei, given that he hits and his bat is valuable, that erring on the side of caution is the course of action we’re going to take,” Roberts said. “So whether we feel that he’s ahead of schedule – he’s Shohei Ohtani, he recovers well – we’re still very cautious.”

Ohtani is aiming to return to the mound early in the season.