It’s rare to witness a star player being absent for all the right reasons. For a brief period, the curiosities around Shohei Ohtani’s absence grew louder. All fans were left guessing: injury setback? Is he okay? When will he be back? With each passing inning, the speculations were only getting fueled. Until it came to light that the Los Angeles star was stepping into fatherhood. Well, it hasn’t been a day since he entered fatherhood. But it looks like his professional duties have already started to overshadow it.

Yes, our two-way phenom has welcomed a healthy baby girl into his life with wife Mamiko Tanaka. While he was on the paternity list, all looked up to manager Dave Roberts to share the news of his return to the lineup. Don’t worry, Roberts heard you. He has the much-awaited update. He revealed that Shohei Ohtani has texted him and he’s expected to be back with the Dodgers for the upcoming game against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Roberts assured, “He’ll rejoin us tomorrow.”

While Ohtani was absent, veteran Eddie Rosario stepped in to fill his shoes as a designated hitter against the Rangers. Rosario has displayed flashes of brilliance time and again. But fans are now looking forward to Ohtani’s return as Rosario’s .217 batting average doesn’t quite live up to Ohtani’s .298 and 14 home runs.

When he’s back on the field, the Dodgers are bringing in more than a hitter. They’re bringing in a newly inspired father who is more driven than ever after welcoming the baby girl.

Major update on Shohei Ohtani’s pitching comeback

Ohtani’s pitching comeback has to be the most talked-about subject this season. Everything in Dodgerland somehow circles back to: how soon will Ohtani pitch again? Yes, we know patience is wearing off now. After all, Ohtani hasn’t pitched since August 2023. He suffered a UCL tear back when he was playing with the Los Angeles Angels.

Recently, manager Dave Roberts addressed his return again. As it seems, Ohtani is still a few months away from making a pitching comeback. On the brighter side, Roberts exuded confidence in the fact that we can still see our two-way phenom pitching again for this season and throughout the postseason.

Looking back to earlier this year, Roberts himself stated that we won’t be seeing Ohtani pitch again until May 2025. All the updates rolling around this month have been a clear indication that his return to the mound is uncertain for now.

Roberts also mentioned, “We’re just trying to get to the next step, get to the next step and see where we’re at. But we certainly expect him to pitch for us this year and through the postseason.” It’s certain that Ohtani’s progress is getting logged precisely. If all works out well, we will definitely see him back on the mound stronger than ever.

Well, now a new feather of fatherhood has been added to Ohtani’s crown. He’s balancing it all – personally and professionally. For now, he’s holding it just fine. We won’t have to wait too long to see him pitching again.