The Los Angeles Dodgers’ plan to use a six-man rotation this season is on hold until one of the half-dozen, star right-hander Shohei Ohtani, returns to the mound in May, according to the team’s president of baseball operations.
Andrew Friedman told reporters on Friday that five off days in April, combined with the Dodgers’ depth in rotation candidates, can make the altered plan work.
Ohtani, the two-way standout who won his third MVP last season when he was limited to designated hitter duty due to his second Tommy John surgery, has not pitched since August 2023 with the Los Angeles Angels.
Two other locks for the rotation, right-handers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and newly signed Roki Sasaki, are former Japan stars who are accustomed to having an extra day of rest.
“I think we’ll be able to fit whatever schedule makes sense for (Yamamoto and Sasaki). With the off days and just the depth that we have, we’ll be able to get creative,” Friedman said.
Because of Ohtani’s two-way status, he won’t have to take up one of the Dodgers’ 13 roster sports for pitchers. He and five other starters would still allow for an eight-man bullpen corps.
Los Angeles’ star-studded rotation also will include newcomer Blake Snell, a left-hander who has won two Cy Young Awards in his nine-year career, and right-hander Tyler Glasnow.
Veteran right-handers Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May would be candidates for the final spot in the rotation, although May might begin the season in the bullpen as he tries to bounce back from multiple injuries, notably UCL and flexor surgery, the Orange County Register reported on Friday.
Right-handers Bobby Miller and Landon Knack, who combined for 25 starts last season for the Dodgers, are additional possibilities for the rotation.
Newly re-signed left-hander Clayton Kershaw will begin the season on the 60-day injured list as he recovers from offseason surgery on his left knee and a left toe.
The Dodgers’ first full-squad workout is set for Saturday, and the club’s initial spring training game is set for Thursday against the Chicago Cubs. Those teams will begin the regular season against each other on March 18-19 in Tokyo.
