Shohei Ohtani Set to Make Dodgers Pitching Debut Monday as Two-Way Stardom Returns

Shohei Ohtani will make his Dodgers pitching debut Monday vs. Padres, returning to two-way play for the first time since 2023.

The crowd will rise before the first pitch. Not for a closer. Not for a ceremonial toss. But for Shohei Ohtani, stepping onto the mound — finally — in Dodger blue.

On Monday, the two-way marvel returns to pitching for the first time since August 2023. For Los Angeles, this moment has been marked on calendars and whispered through dugouts for months. Ohtani, a World Series champion and MVP already in a Dodgers uniform, has yet to throw a pitch for them. That changes now.

Manager Dave Roberts announced Sunday that Ohtani will “most likely” start Monday’s game against the Padres — and moments later, it was official. He will be the opener, likely for just an inning or two. But the number doesn’t matter. What matters is that he’s back. That baseball’s most mythical figure is whole again.

🚨 Shohei Ohtani makes his return to the mound MONDAY NIGHT 🚨 pic.twitter.com/c2UteFgsZd

— MLB (@MLB) June 16, 2025

From Simulation to Showtime

There’s only so long a man like Shohei Ohtani can stay in the shadows. For weeks, the routine was the same: simulated games, bullpen sessions, throwing to live hitters. But something inside him stirred. Enough waiting.

“He’s getting antsy,” Roberts said. “Which is a good thing.”

This isn’t just a return to form — it’s a reclamation of identity. Ohtani the hitter has been everything Los Angeles hoped. But Ohtani the pitcher is what makes him a marvel. His last pitch came before he was a champion. Before the injury to his non-throwing shoulder altered his offseason. Before the Dodgers had to shield the world from a broken timetable.

Shohei Ohtani returns to pitching tonight ⚾️

“He is honored to make the world remember that he belongs to both sides of the game.”#HeroesOfTheGame pic.twitter.com/ZuvdvFUDSN

— MLB (@MLB) June 16, 2025

But now, the bullets — as Roberts called them — won’t be wasted in practice. They’ll be fired in a real game, under real lights, with real stakes. It won’t be long. Just an inning. Just enough to say: he’s back.

A Rotation Running on Fumes

There’s urgency beyond the fanfare. The Dodgers’ rotation has become a question mark scribbled in pencil. Blake Snell is hurt. Tyler Glasnow is recovering. Roki Sasaki is shut down indefinitely. For all the depth in Los Angeles, their arms are aging, aching, or absent.

That’s why Emmet Sheehan’s name matters now. The young righty is nearly ready to return from Tommy John surgery. Roberts says there’s a “very high likelihood” Sheehan returns midweek.

In the meantime, Ohtani’s one or two innings aren’t just a milestone. They’re a necessity. They give breath to a staff gasping for help. Not a savior yet — not today — but a spark.

This is the Dodgers, after all. They don’t just play for wins. They play for October. And the road to October demands pitching. Even if it’s just one inning at a time.

The Return of the Unicorn

Ohtani’s 2024 campaign began with patience and purpose. Everyone knew he’d hit. That bat — the power, the timing, the awe — never left. But the arm? That was another journey.

Ticket prices have sky rocketed for Shohei Ohtani pitching tomorrow pic.twitter.com/WFtWIP90U3

— DodgersMuse (@LADodgersMuse) June 16, 2025

Now, as the second half of the season looms, he’ll walk out of the dugout and take the ball in his right hand. And for a moment, the game will pause. A new chapter begins — not as an experiment, not as a possibility, but as a return.

Shohei Ohtani has already given this sport moments no one imagined. But the next one might be his most meaningful yet: not a home run, not a trophy, but a pitch. A beginning.

Because sometimes, one inning is all it takes to remind us of everything we’ve been waiting for.