Even the most unstoppable forces know when to hit the brakes—strategically, of course. Shohei Ohtani, the man who makes baseball look like a personal highlight reel, isn’t rushing back to the mound just yet. He’s playing it smart, keeping fans guessing and batters breathing a little easier—for now. But don’t mistake patience for hesitation.

Even the great ones need rest from time to time, right? Now, Shohei Ohtani has decided to take a rest on his pitching side of things and go full-on slugging mode.

During an interview just before the Tokyo Series Exhibition games, Shohei Ohtani was questioned on the same. Ohtani replied, “I wanted to prioritize the hitting aspect as we were heading into the season to give a little breather mentally and physically on the pitching side of things.”

There was no timeline as to when Ohtani will be back on the mound. After the UCL injury in August 2023, Ohtani had to get the Tommy John Surgery. This meant that when he got traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, his pitching was ruled out.

But we did get to his pitching during the spring camp but not in any of the games. We did get to see the changes he had made to his pitching action to reduce the stress on the shoulder and the arm. But even with the changes, the recovery is taking time.

Dave Roberts has already said that they will assess Ohtani throughout the rehab and will only use him as a pitcher if he is at 100%. He said that more than now, they will need Ohtani during October, and they will need him fully fit.

Seemingly, Ohtani will start out as a DH for the Dodgers and will only concentrate on his hitting for now.

So, as the current scenario goes, Ohtani isn’t a two-way unicorn—he’s just a baseball-crushing, pitcher-haunting nightmare. The Dodgers will wait, the league will watch, and when he finally takes the mound again, well… good luck to everyone standing in the batter’s box.

Shohei Ohtani makes another mark beyond the baseball diamond

Shohei Ohtani isn’t just rewriting baseball history—he’s expanding his empire. While pitchers are still recovering from the damage he did last season, Ohtani has decided it’s time to leave his mark somewhere else. No, it’s not another MVP trophy (yet). It’s something subtle, stylish, and unmistakably his—because being the best in one arena clearly isn’t enough.

Shohei Ohtani has forged an alliance with New Balance, and they have come out with s special edition shoe. While there is no branding of his on the exterior, the interior of his shoe has a baserunner logo which debuted in 2023.

The shoe features a blue mesh base with green and cream nubuck overlays. The midsole has an aged look with green and gray accents towards the heel. To top it all, it has a black outsole that makes the other colors stand out. This is not the first outside-baseball collab we have seen with Shohei Ohtani. We saw him feature in Fortnite and become the first-ever baseball player to do so.

Ohtani is redefining what it means to be a global icon. From crushing home runs to dropping signature sneakers (and even dominating Fortnite), he’s proving that his impact isn’t limited to the baseball field. And at this rate, the only thing Ohtani won’t conquer is the concept of taking a break.