Dodgers expect Shohei Ohtani to pitch in 2027 without offseason surgery
Andrew Friedman says surgery is not planned after knee and biceps injuries interrupted Ohtani’s pitching season. The Dodgers have yet to settle how they will use him on the mound next year.
Shohei Ohtani is expected to pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2027, and offseason surgery is not planned, team president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said on Wednesday, October 21. The update gives the Dodgers a path toward restoring Ohtani’s two-way role after knee and biceps injuries interrupted his pitching in 2026, though the team has not settled how often he will pitch next season.
Asked about surgery, Friedman said it was ‘not on the table.’ ‘I fully expect him to pitch next year,’ he said. The New York Post reported that doctors assessed Ohtani and advised rest, according to the team’s account. That assessment addresses the immediate surgery question but leaves the details of his pitching return to be worked out.
How injuries interrupted Ohtani’s 2026 season
Ohtani’s last pitching appearance came on July 3. CBS Sports reported that he later threw bullpen sessions and faced hitters in live batting practice while preparing for a possible late-August return, but the Dodgers shut down that attempt. The outlet reported he had made 14 starts, pitched 85⅔ innings and recorded a 1.79 ERA before the injuries disrupted his season.
His time away from the mound was followed by an interruption to his hitting season. Yahoo Sports reported that Ohtani went on the injured list on September 3 and returned on September 29. He played in the Dodgers’ postseason but went 5 for 26 across eight games, according to Yahoo. Los Angeles won 100 regular-season games before Milwaukee swept it in the National League Championship Series.
The update follows uncertainty expressed by Ohtani himself. After the Dodgers’ NLCS elimination, he said he did not yet know whether offseason procedures would be necessary, the New York Post reported. Friedman’s assessment gives the club a clearer expectation for 2027, while Ohtani and the Dodgers still need to discuss his pitching use beyond the immediate recovery period.
Dodgers’ 2027 pitching plan remains open
Friedman compared the knee and biceps problems to a game of ‘whack-a-mole,’ according to theScore, which attributed that detail to California Post reporter Jack Harris. The same report said Friedman expected Ohtani to be healthy by the start of spring training. It remains unclear what pitching schedule or workload the Dodgers will choose once he is ready to return.
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Sources and context
- Dodgers 'fully expect' Shohei Ohtani to pitch in 2027, and they have three paths to take with two-way starCBS Sports
- Shohei Ohtani will not need offseason surgery, expected to be healthy for start of next yearNew York Post
- Shohei Ohtani expected to pitch next year; surgery 'not on the table'Yahoo Sports; byline: Teddy Ricketson
- Ohtani won't have offseason surgery; Dodgers expect him to pitch in 2027theScore; credits The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya and California Post's Jack Harris
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.