Why did Shohei Ohtani take so long to pitch rehabilitation? Foreign media give the answer

In an empty field, the world's most high-profile baseball player began his pitching practice.

On an unusually cool afternoon in April, Shohei Ohtani strolled to the outfield turf of the National Stadium. He was followed by a "retinue" of Los Angeles Dodgers coaches and staff. Ohtani, who only handed in a single game with a single 3-hit, including a home run and a 3rd base hit, picked up the ball and began passing practice.

With the stadium not opening until two hours after the day's event, the stands were almost empty. While Ohtani was practicing, Dodgers head coach Dave Roberts was conducting daily media interviews, attracting the attention of a large number of reporters accompanying the team. With the exception of the group of Dodgers pitchers waiting to warm up, only a few Nationals court staff, sporadic media and security personnel were watching Ohtani. When a ball bounced into the audience, the quick-eyed venue staff quickly pocketed the "precious ball".

Later, Otani and his team, dressed in winter training gear, moved to the away team's cowshed. The Japanese superstar made a brief practice throw, throwing around 15 balls, including speedballs and knuckles, to his crouching partner, but did not practice throwing any breaking balls. He smiles with satisfaction when he sees the ball on the bases, and frowns at the point where he misses the ball.

Without knowing the background, it all looks like a routine for a professional footballer. But for Shohei Otani, routine never existed.

Over the past decade, Ohtani has become a unique presence with a "two-cut" style – no current MLB player can juggle top-level striking and pitching at the same time. But since undergoing elbow surgery in September 2023, the three-time MVP winner hasn't been on the Major League Pitcher Hill. During this period, he switched to Dodgers, was involved in a gambling scandal involving former translators, won the MVP of the National League and won the first World Series championship of his career, and his momentum reached even higher.

However, the road back to the second stream has been far longer than expected. As of press time (April 2025), 1 year, 6 months and 21 days have passed since the surgery on September 19, 2023. Judging by the progress of the rehabilitation, the Dodgers still have to be patient.

"I'm still limited by the type of ball and the speed of the ball at this stage." Ohtani said this to the media this week through an interpreter. He hasn't changed his pitch from pitcher mound practice and hasn't pitched with 100 percent force. The next phase will be striking, which was close to the playoffs last year, but the training program was suspended for some reason. The most optimistic estimate is that Ohtani may be six weeks away from returning to the rotation, but neither the team nor the players have given a clear timetable.

At present, there is a general consensus within Dodge that the likelihood of seeing Ohtani before the end of June is extremely low. If you choose to return after the Star Game in July, the total recovery time will be 22 months, far exceeding the recovery period of the usual "Tommy John surgery". Computation, Tony Gonsolin, who underwent the same surgery 19 days after Ohtani's surgery, started the minor league rehabilitation game 1 year and 9 days after surgery (September 10, 2024) (now on the injured list due to a back injury).

It's worth emphasizing that Dodge executives have never described Ohtani's progress as "rehabilitated and blocked."

Why is it taking longer than expected? Ohtani has repeatedly subverted the norm in his illustrious career, but why did this rehabilitation go the other way? Here's the thing: this is his second elbow surgery after his first Tommy John surgery at the end of the 2018 season. Medical statistics show that patients undergoing secondary surgery usually require a more conservative rehabilitation schedule. For example, Celeron made a strong pitch to Jacob deGrom and it took 15 months for him to return after Tommy John's second time last year, but 20-22 months is still rare.

Another variable was the injury to G2 at the 2024 World Series: Ohtani injured his left shoulder while playing a base at the time, and underwent surgery to repair it in November after the game. This will inevitably lead to a pause or adjustment in pitching training, further delaying the comeback.

In addition, the status of a full-time hitter is undoubtedly a double-edged blade. Never before in MLB history has a pitcher undergone a second elbow surgery while serving as an MVP-caliber hitter. Playing consistently meant Ohtani couldn't focus 100 per cent on his pitching rehab – as last year, he was only able to use his pre-match bits of time to practice his throwing. Even if he returns, he will maintain the two-knife pattern, but under special circumstances, it is reasonable for the team and players to choose to be cautious.