Los Angeles Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes recently spoke to MLB Network about the pitching status of Shohei Ohtani and when fans can expect to see him on the mound this summer.

Gomes gave an update on the process that the Dodgers are undergoing with Ohtani to get him back on the mound.

“We’re not really focusing on how many innings or any of that,” Gomes said. “This process, obviously, is unique in building up, pitching while also acclimating to games, and coming off the shoulder surgery he had in the offseason. So we’re balancing a lot of different things here. He’s feeling good. 

“He’s throwing flat grounds right now. I think the most important thing for us is that when he comes back, he’s feeling good, able to execute his stuff at the high level he’s accustomed to, and making sure that when he does return, we feel good about him running deep into the postseason.”

When asked if Ohtani would be a rotation regular by the end of the season, Gomes said, “Yeah, that’s the thought. Absolutely.”

Ohtani has already been the subject of numerous surgeries, including two Tommy Johns (2018, 2023) and most recently, an offseason shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum.

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.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Dodgers should be excited to get the most out of their two-way star, but according to Gomes, they are in no rush to get Ohtani the pitcher back. 

Los Angeles are a team that will likely have a comfortable cushion in the NL West late in the season, making it the perfect opportunity for Ohtani to ramp up and throw in the postseason.

Ohtani has a career 3.01 ERA and 1.082 WHIP and came in fourth place in the 2022 AL Cy Young race. He has excellent swing-and-miss stuff, but reasonable concerns about his durability exist. In addition to the surgeries, Ohtani has never thrown 170 innings and has only surpassed 130 innings three times since 2018.

He is too good not to utilize when healthy, but perhaps the Dodgers and Ohtani would benefit from a move to the bullpen.

Ohtani has the physical traits and mental capacity to handle pressure moments, most memorably during the final at-bat of the 2023 World Baseball Classic, when he struck out his then-teammate, Mike Trout, to secure Japan’s title.

Los Angeles already has a surplus of starters, and Ohtani as a closer or even high-leverage reliever would help preserve his arm for the future.