When will Shohei Ohtani play for Dodgers? Latest news, schedule for 2024 spring training debut

Shohei Ohtani has already been seen hitting home runs in batting practice while wearing Dodger blue, but Los Angeles fans might have to wait a little bit longer to watch it happen in a spring training game.

Ohtani is making his recovery from offseason elbow surgery, which will prevent him from pitching in 2024. He will still be batting, following his ’19 model where he only hit after recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Though Ohtani is at camp and has shown an impressive swing, the highest-paid player in baseball is not going to be rushed back to full-time action. The Dodgers are going to ensure they protect their investment with a focus on keeping him healthy for the second half of the 2024 campaign, particularly the playoffs, rather than rushing him back.

When will Ohtani be making his spring training Dodgers debut? Here’s the latest.

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Latest news for Shohei Ohtani’s spring training debut

The Dodgers will be beginning their spring training schedule earlier than anyone except the Padres due to the two NL West teams facing off against one another in Seoul, South Korea, for the Seoul Series on March 20-21. However, that doesn’t mean Ohtani will begin his spring training on Thursday.

Manager Dave Roberts confirmed Ohtani would not be playing in the spring training opener despite recently taking live batting practice and hitting a home run in his first session.

A Shohei homer in his first live BP session. 😳 pic.twitter.com/T9PUVNUMk3

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) February 19, 2024

There has been no public confirmation on when, exactly, Ohtani will make his spring training debut, though optimism remains he’ll be ready to play in games “shortly thereafter,” Roberts said, per The Los Angeles Times.

Ohtani is going to be given plenty of leeway with his offseason workouts. He was permitted to go through different activities than what the team had prepared for him earlier in spring training, per the LA Times, a level of independence not uncommon for star players. 

Roberts noted Ohtani is a different player altogether than other vets who have received that freedom in the past. For starters, “he knows his body better than anyone,” particularly when it comes to best practices for coming back from surgeries, which he has done in the past.

“And No. 2, we’re still trying to learn him,” Roberts said, per the Los Angeles Times. “So I think for the organization to say, ‘This is what you have to do,’ I don’t think that’s the right process. There’s got to be trust on both sides.”

There’s no specific amount of game or live AB action Ohtani needs to feel he’s ready for the regular season, Roberts added, and said that “when he feels like he’s ready to play in a game, he’ll play in a game.”

Dodgers spring training schedule

* – Seoul Series games will be regular-season contests 

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