Pitching Plans for Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto to Finish Spring Training

Apr 23, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) laughs with pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18) before the teams game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

Team Japan getting eliminated in the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic meant Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto returned to Camelback Ranch at the start of the week to begin their final preparations for the regular season.

Neither has yet to appear in a Cactus League game, but Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed that is poised to change with Ohtani making a pitching start on Wednesday.

"Not sure how many innings he's going to give us," Roberts said. "And then Yoshinobu will go on Friday."

Ohtani's start as a pitcher is going to be his first of the spring. He threw 59 pitches during a simulated game at loanDepot Park last week, and Roberts acknowledged three or four innings against the San Francisco Giants is a "fair" expectation.

In addition to having that Cactus League start penciled in, the Dodgers also anticipate Ohtani facing the Los Angeles Angels next week.

"Just kind of where we're at right now, he's scheduled to pitch one of those games in the Freeway Series," Roberts said. "Not sure exactly which, and then we'll go from there."

Given that schedule, it's likely Ohtani won't make a pitching start during the regular season until the Dodgers' series against the Cleveland Guardians.

Though Ohtani is due to take the mound against the Giants, he won't be in the Dodgers lineup as their designated hitter until Friday.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto preparing for Opening Day

Yamamoto made two starts for the Dodgers in Spring Training and twice took the mound for Team Japan during the World Baseball Classic. He allowed combined two runs over 6.2 innings in the WBC outings.

In his Cactus League starts, the right-hander allowed four runs (three earned) across 4.2 innings pitched. With Yamamoto not pitching again for the Dodgers until Friday, it's expected to be his final tuneup of the spring.

He already was named the Opening Day starter, and is lined up to begin the season on five days of rest. The Opening Day start is Yamamoto's second of his career, but will mark his first time starting the first game of the year at Dodger Stadium.

Yamamoto is on track to join Scott McGregor (1984 Baltimore Orioles), Josh Beckett (2004 Florida Marlins), Madison Bumgarner (2015 San Francisco Giants) and Chris Sale (2019 Boston Red Sox) as pitchers who started the first game of the season after ending the one prior.