When will Shohei Ohtani pitch again? Dodgers star has ‘north of zero’ shot to return earlier than anticipated

Shohei Ohtani’s pitching debut for the Dodgers seems to be inching closer.

Since the superstar designated hitter and two-way player signed a record-breaking contract with Los Angeles before the 2024 season, the Dodgers have been taking a cautious approach as Ohtani recovers from major arm surgery. He’s still been one of the best players in baseball since joining the reigning World Series champs, but Ohtani may soon be doing even more for the defending champs.

Already with the expectation that Ohtani would be pitching to major-league hitters again at some point this season, the latest indications from the Dodgers are that he could be ahead of schedule in his recovery.

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Here’s the latest on Ohtani’s return to pitching and when he could make his Dodgers pitching debut.

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When will Shohei Ohtani pitch again?

When the 2025 MLB season was just getting started, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said in February that he expected Ohtani to be back on the mound around May. While that timeline quickly shifted to the season’s second half, there have been some positive developments in his recovery lately.

In April, he threw a 26-pitch bullpen session, then in late May, he threw a live batting practice to Dodgers hitters at Citi Field. It was his first time throwing to live batters since joining the Dodgers.

Shohei Ohtani threw Live BP today. 👀 pic.twitter.com/HDxM1OOqDQ

— Blazin’ Baseball (@BlazinBaseball) May 25, 2025

Absurd movement on this pitch during Shohei Ohtani’s live BP 🔥 pic.twitter.com/NMHEmoX1y8

— MLB (@MLB) May 25, 2025

Even more recently, Ohtani has taken bigger steps. Ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Padres, Roberts told reporters that the chances of Ohtani returning to pitch sooner than the adjusted post-All-Star break timeline are “north of zero,” per The Athletic.

With July’s All-Star Game often viewed as the mid-way point of the season and an opportunity to rest, Ohtani’s timeline to pitch again was being targeted for the second half, but based on Roberts’ comments, he could be pitching again before he’s in Atlanta for the All-Star Game on July 15.

Roberts and Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior both “noted how good Ohtani looked” when he threw three simulated innings on Tuesday, per The Athletic. Ohtani threw 44 pitches in the outing, reportedly striking out six batters.

Shohei Ohtani threw 44 pitches across three simulated innings. Today marked his third time facing hitters. Here’s him striking out his final batter: pic.twitter.com/StYQ0DxaBP

— Sonja Chen (@SonjaMChen) June 10, 2025

ESPN reporter Alden Gonzalez said Ohtani seems “more likely to return as a pitcher in July as opposed to August,” with the question more so being whether it’s before or after the All-Star break. Roberts also said that it may be “tempting” to rush Ohtani back to the mound amid plenty of ongoing Dodgers pitching injuries, but “we’re still being very careful.”

There are certainly no guarantees that Ohtani will pitch prior to the All-Star break, but the latest indications are that an early-to-mid-July return is at least a possibility.

What was Shohei Ohtani’s injury?

Ohtani is in the late stages of recovering from a torn UCL in his right elbow. He underwent Tommy John surgery that ended his pitching season in 2023 and has limited him to hitting in 2024 and 2025 so far.

When’s the last time Shohei Ohtani pitched?

The last game Ohtani pitched in was as a member of the Angels. On August 2, 2023, he exited a matchup against the Reds after just 1.1 innings due to elbow discomfort, which was later revealed to be a torn UCL.

Shohei Ohtani pitching stats