When UCLA Legend Roberts Aims for Ohtani's Return to the Mound

Former UCLA Bruin and current manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Dave Roberts, revealed when he thinks Shohei Ohtani will be on the mound again.

Mar 29, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) warms up before a game against the Detroit Tigers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images | Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers have gotten off to a strong start to their 2025 campaign, adding five-straight wins to their record and no blemish in the loss column.

With UCLA legend and Hall of Famer Dave Roberts leading the way for the Dodgers as manager, he gave an intriguing update surround his star player.

Shohei Ohtani has taken the world of baseball by storm, becoming the first effective batter and pitcher the league has seen since the days of Babe Ruth. After being just a hitter last season, the highly anticipated mound return is on the minds of not only Dodger fans, but MLB fans.

After settling into the new season, Ohtani wasn't on anyone's radar to be returning to the mound anytime soon, as it's almost a marathon rather than a sprint with getting him comfortable throwing at that level again. At least according to what the former UCLA product recently said.

“This is a long-term play for Shohei’s well-being also,” Roberts said. “So making sure that we're as cautious and careful as we possibly can [be]. And, yeah, for 2025, the most important piece of this is having him be able to do both through the end of the season, through October.”

Regardless of Ohtani not being on the mound, he continues to contribute to the franchise. In a season where he had to rest his surgically repaired elbow, Ohtani set a new record in MLB history, collecting 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases by a single player in a season.

“Given what he’s gone through, keeping his arm going, I think that's kind of fair,” Roberts said. “But I don't know what that looks like as far as leadership. I'm not going to try to prognosticate, but I think that it's a fair take.”

All that being said, Dodger fans shouldn't be getting their hopes up that Ohtani will return to more than just hitting anytime soon. Lucky for them, Ohtani is the best thing going right now in all of baseball, even without him hurling the baseball.

The good news for Dodger fans, however, is that Ohtani pitched in his first bullpen session this past Saturday, which was the first time seeing him pitch in a setting since this past winter.

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