The Dodgers’ season ended with a sweep at Milwaukee’s hands, and their winter began with a medical update. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said Wednesday that Shohei Ohtani needs rest, not surgery, for the left-knee and right-biceps problems that ended his pitching season after July 3 and trailed him through his worst offensive season as a Dodger, the Associated Press reported.
Friedman described the year as “just an unfortunate game of whack-a-mole.” On 2027: “I’m not only expecting him to pitch, we’re excited about him pitching.” What the club has not settled is the workload — how a two-way player who turns 33 next July, and who has had two Tommy John surgeries, gets rationed across a season. Ohtani hit 30 home runs this year, his fewest since 2019, and his 25-game homerless streak was snapped only by a three-run homer in Game 4 of the NLCS against Milwaukee.
The update, in brief
- Friedman (Wednesday, via AP): Ohtani’s left knee and right biceps need rest, not surgery
- His pitching ended July 3; his 30 home runs were his fewest since 2019
- 2027: the Dodgers expect him to pitch; the two-way workload plan is not settled
- Ohtani turns 33 next July; he has had two Tommy John surgeries
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