In what will be a special moment for baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers will open the 2025 season in Japan as part of the “Tokyo Series.”

The Dodgers will play two games against the Chicago Cubs on March 18 and 19. Given the Japanese connection in both teams, the fanfare and anticipation should be incredible and a brilliant moment for the sport internationally. Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto will represent the Dodgers while Seiya Suzuki and Shota Imanaga will play for the Cubs.

Free agent pitcher Roki Sasaki could also sign with the The Dodgers, giving them another Japanese link.

However, as fun as the series has been, it doesn’t look like Ohtani will take the ball on the mound at that point.

By Bob Nightengale from The United States today, who spoke with manager Dave Roberts:

“Very unlikely,” Roberts said when asked if Ohtani could possibly pitch in Tokyo. “I just don’t see us starting the clock in March and then thinking we would continue this continuously through October. Then it would require a mid-season break or reprieve, so I don’t know.

“I still think it’s unlikely.”

Frankly, none of this is surprising. Ohtani was already rehabbing from Tommy John surgery he underwent at the end of the 2023 season. It’s a certainty he will have a monitored workload. Second, Ohtani also suffered a partial torn labrum during the World Series. Although the labrum issue concerns his non-throwing arm, this offseason’s downtime could delay rehabilitation from Tommy John surgery, also delaying his return to the mound.

If and when Ohtani returns to the Dodgers rotation, he will join a group that includes Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell, Clayton Kershaw, Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin.

As a pitcher, he is 38-19 lifetime with a 3.01 ERA. He struck out 608 batters in 481.2 innings. He made 86 starts, all for the Los Angeles Angels.

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