Ohtani Avoids Surgery, Eyes Return to Two-way Play in 2027

WHO:

MLB.com - Hunter Feduccia is likely to begin next season as Will Smith’s backup catcher while Rushing recovers.

MLB.com - Shohei Ohtani is a Dodgers two-way player; he was 32 and had right biceps and left knee injuries.

MLB.com - Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations, said Ohtani does not need surgery and that he “fully” expects him to pitch in 2027.

MLB.com - Ohtani said he would revisit his treatment and training program with the aim of developing a plan for the next season.

MLB.com - Dodgers manager and staff will discuss Ohtani’s workload with him; Friedman said Ohtani may not always have accurately conveyed how he felt physically.

Reddit Sports - A post was submitted by /u/PrincessBananas85; its headline says Ohtani will not need surgery and is expected to pitch in 2027.

WHAT:

MLB.com - Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing underwent a hybrid internal-brace procedure to repair a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. He hit .246 with a .788 OPS and 12 home runs in his second big league season.

MLB.com - Rushing’s elbow flared up in early August; after returning as a hitter on September 1, he appeared in four games before aggravating it while throwing and returning to the injured list.

MLB.com - If Rushing’s rehabilitation proceeds as planned, he could be available to catch around mid-to-late July. The Dodgers may keep him as a hitter only or send him to Triple-A Oklahoma City for regular at-bats while he recovers.

MLB Trade Rumors - Andrew Friedman expects the Dodgers’ entire coaching staff to return in 2027, including manager Dave Roberts for his 12th season.

MLB Trade Rumors - Dodgers right-hander Will Klein had an elbow procedure to remove bone chips.

MLB Trade Rumors - Ohtani had a .293/.403/.549 slash line and 22 home runs through the All-Star break, with a 28% strikeout rate across his first 14 starts.

MLB Trade Rumors - Ohtani missed several weeks in September with the biceps injury and went nearly two months between his final regular-season home run and his three-run NLCS Game 4 homer.

MLB Trade Rumors - Dodgers reliever Will Klein underwent a procedure to remove bone chips from his elbow; the operation was not expected to affect his availability for Spring Training. Klein posted a 3.67 ERA and 26% strikeout rate over a career-high 41⅔ innings, then missed the final two months with the injury.

MLB Trade Rumors - Backup catcher Dalton Rushing underwent surgery for a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. His expected timeline to return to catching is nine months, though he is expected to resume hitting earlier.

MLB Trade Rumors - Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said he expects the entire coaching staff to return.

MLB.com - The Dodgers expect Ohtani to be fully healthy by the beginning of the 2027 season, but are evaluating how to manage him as a two-way player.

MLB.com - Ohtani hit 30 home runs, led the team, and recorded an .889 OPS and a 1.79 ERA in 14 starts.

MLB.com - Ohtani stopped pitching after July 3; his hitting production declined steeply in mid-August. The Dodgers placed him on the injured list in September.

MLB.com - In the postseason, Ohtani went 5-for-26 (.192) with one extra-base hit, a three-run homer in NLCS Game 4.

MLB.com - The Dodgers are considering whether Ohtani should begin 2027 outside the rotation, even if healthy enough to pitch, and how to manage his first month.

MLB.com - Ohtani has never begun a season as a two-way player and pitched in that year’s postseason. His largest two-way workload was in 2022: 666 plate appearances and 166 innings over 28 pitching starts.

MLB.com - The Dodgers’ bid for a third consecutive championship ended after the Brewers swept them out of the NL Championship Series.

WHERE:

MLB.com - Friedman spoke at the Dodgers’ end-of-season press conference at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

Reddit Sports - The article is posted in Reddit Sports.

WHEN:

MLB Trade Rumors - Friedman said Ohtani is expected to be fully healthy for the start of Spring Training.

MLB.com - The Dodgers expect Ohtani to be fully healthy by the beginning of the 2027 season and expect him to pitch that season.

WHY:

MLB.com - The Dodgers want to balance Ohtani’s regular-season two-way contributions with keeping him in good condition for a deep postseason run.

MLB.com - Friedman said managing Ohtani deliberately is important because “the value of it is incredible.”

MLB.com - Ohtani’s injuries affected both his pitching and hitting, prompting him to reassess treatment and training.

HOW:

MLB.com - Friedman said the Dodgers will work with Ohtani to determine when he resumes pitching and hitting and how to manage his workload; he said they had not yet settled on details.

MLB.com - The Dodgers plan to discuss the approach openly with Ohtani and assess how he responds during the season.

Shohei Ohtani does not need surgery, and the Dodgers expect him to pitch in 2027, though they are still deciding how to manage his workload. Team president Andrew Friedman said Ohtani should be fully healthy by the season’s start, but the club may keep him out of the rotation initially. Ohtani plans to revisit his treatment and training, while the Dodgers will work with him on when to resume pitching and hitting. Injuries to his right biceps and left knee affected both roles this season, and he stopped pitching after July 3. Meanwhile, catcher Dalton Rushing had surgery to repair a partially torn ligament in his right elbow and may not catch again until mid-to-late July, if recovery goes as planned. Hunter Feduccia is likely to back up Will Smith while Rushing recovers.