In about a month and ten days, the Los Angeles Dodgers will have their season opener in South Korea against the San Diego Padres. The biggest story till then is – will Shohei Ohtani be ready to start that game or not? While Ohtani has openly stated that he aims to be back by March 20, one never knows how recuperation ends up progressing. However, at least for now, the two-way phenom has given great news to his fans. 

Ohtani has gradually worked himself back to fitness after an unfortunate elbow injury ended his 2023 prematurely. Even though he is not expected to pitch in 2024, the Dodgers are hoping that he’ll come through with his extraordinary hitting skills. So with Spring Training about to begin, it looks like Ohtani has started to find some groove in his swinging.

“Almost a 100%” – Shohei Ohtani shares his encouraging progress

With Spring Training just a mere days away, the Dodgers have begun building their squad. Ohtani, on the other hand, is trying to come back to his best. SportsNet LA interviewed Ohtani and asked about his progress. This is where the superstar gave encouraging information, saying that his swing was “almost a 100%”. Ohtani followed that up by informing them the next step in his training would be, “facing like live arms, or facing some velo machine.”

Previously, it was revealed that Shotime was taking things slowly regarding his training. He hadn’t yet started taking velocity pitches. Instead, Ohtani was taking flips where someone pitched underhanded baseballs to him. However, with just a month remaining before the season opener, Ohtani might be ready to completely rehab his arm. 

It is to be noted that Ohtani underwent his second Tommy John surgery in September 2023. The two-way phenom was going through a historic season before injury cut it short. The Dodgers fans are hoping he’d be back to his 2023 level, a year after he hit the league-high 44 home runs.

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While talking about the coaching staff, Ohtani also revealed that he’s fairly confident that he’d be able to manage a good comeback. 

“It’ll be easier the second time around,” – Shotime on his return

Answering about the Dodgers coaching staff, Ohtani shared that they’re still striking a balance between each other. But he was hopeful that things would work out pretty soon. When asked about his struggles with rehabilitation, Ohtani referenced his similar experience in 2019. “This is not my first time doing rehabbing…I did this back in ‘19, so I know how to do it and I feel like it’ll be easier the second time around.” 

So at least for now, fans in South Korea can have a sigh of relief. Their dream of witnessing Shohei Ohtani is still on the way to being fulfilled. Hopefully, the superstar will return to his absolute best soon.

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