Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman spoke to reporters Wednesday and gave an update on star Shohei Ohtani.
Friedman said Ohtani has been dealing with knee and bicep injuries all year and called the whole situation “whack-a-mole.” In response, Friedman said surgery is “not on the table” for Ohtani, and he is expected to heal over the offseason.
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The Dodgers are preparing for a full-strength, dual-threat Ohtani next year. Said Friedman: “I fully expect him to pitch next year.”
With injuries, Ohtani played in 135 games this season. Ties that have played for the fewest games in a season since 2020. He took the mound 14 times, with his last pitching appearance on July 3 before the All-Star break.
After hitting only in the second half, Ohtani injured his index finger on Sept. 3. was added and until Sept. 29 It wasn’t over, as the Dodgers tried to give themselves extra time to rest before the season.
While he was driving through LA to play in the game, he wasn’t at the plate. Ohtani played in eight postseason games and went 5-for-26. He just hit .192/.323/.308 with one home run and three RBI.
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Even with injuries affecting the story over time, it’s still very good. But Ohtani certainly set false expectations for himself by winning three consecutive MVP awards.
In the 2026 regular season, he hit .275, his lowest batting average since 2022. He hit 30 home runs, his fewest since 2020.
The star dual-threat’s numbers dropped across the board, but he still helped Los Angeles reach 100 wins, second-most in MLB. The Dodgers made players as the No. 1 seed. 2 in the National League. Los Angeles swept the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS, but the Braves swept the Milwaukee Dodgers in the NLCS.
One positive of the elimination, though, is that Ohtani is getting a jump start on his offseason recovery, as he and the team hope to be back to full strength by the start of next season.