Dodgers Bring Back Shohei Ohtani, DFA Veteran Outfielder

Apr 16, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) grounds out in the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers have officially activated Shohei Ohtani off the paternity list.

Ohtani announced on Saturday that he and his wife, Mamiko, gave birth to a healthy baby girl.

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“Welcome to the Ohtani Family!,” Ohtani wrote on Instagram. “I am so grateful to my loving wife who gave birth to our healthy beautiful daughter. To my daughter, thank you for making us very nervous yet super anxious parents. I would also like to thank the Dodgers organization, my teammates, and the fans for their constant support and kind words of encouragement.

“I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to all the medical professionals and everyone who dedicated their support to us, up until this wonderful day.”

To make room for Ohtani on the active roster, the Dodgers designated veteran outfielder Eddie Rosario for assignment.

The Dodgers brought Rosario up on Friday when Ohtani went on the paternity list. He started each of the last two games, going 1-for-4. Since he was out of minor league options, the Dodgers had to DFA him. He'll now head to waivers, where the other 29 teams will get the opportunity to claim him.

As for Ohtani, he ended up missing just two games while on paternity leave. Now, he's flown back to Texas for Sunday's game. The Dodgers are off on Monday and then start a quick two-game series with the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday.

Ohtani is off to another strong start this season, slashing .288/.380/.550 with six home runs, eight runs batted in, five stolen bases, and an OPS of .930.

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Here's the full Dodgers lineup behind Ohtani for Sunday's series finale against the Rangers:

Shohei Ohtani, DH
Mookie Betts, SS
Freddie Freeman, 1B
Teoscar Hernandez, RF
Tommy Edman, CF
Michael Conforto, LF
Max Muncy, 3B
Miguel Rojas, 2B
Austin Barnes, C

For more Dodgers news, head over to Dodgers on SI.