The decision is partly a matter of comfort, with Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto accustomed to pitching essentially once a week dating back to their time in Japan. It also factored prominently, the Dodgers believe, into their ability to land phenom Roki Sasaki this winter — like his countrymen, Sasaki is used to pitching on a once-per-week schedule.

Ohtani says he will throw his first traditional bullpen session this weekend, at which point he will begin the process of preparing to join the Dodgers’ rotation, likely in May.

Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani qualifies as a two-way player in the eyes of MLB despite being unable to pitch in 2024 thanks to a change in the eligibility rule. The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya and Ken Rosenthal confirmed a player can now get two-way status on the basis of his usage over the past two seasons.