Glendale, Arizona – The Los Angeles Dodgers, who will get an early start to the season with two games against the San Diego Padres in Seoul on March 20, welcomed two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani to his inaugural spring training on Friday.
Ohtani was spotted on Thursday at the Dodgers’ complex outside of Phoenix, two days after fellow Japanese player Yoshinobu Yamamoto started working out at Camelback Ranch. Ohtani, who will not be able to pitch this year due to surgery on his right elbow last year, has started up hitting practice again.
“I’m at a new team and I’m really taking it as though I’m in the first year of my career,” Ohtani stated. “Getting used to the environment is the priority.”
“So far, everything has been enjoyable and everyone is friendly. It will still be around two months before I can toss a ball. I’ll just concentrate on my batting.”
Over the offseason, Ohtani and Yamamoto signed record deals to join the Dodgers. Many supporters were seen sporting Ohtani’s No. Dodgers shirt. Ohtani trained indoors for the day, and Yamamoto waved to onlookers as he warmed up in the bullpen on the first day, tossing out twenty-one throws.
“It’s already almost 100%,” Ohtani remarked of his swing. “I’m going to start batting against real pitches and a hitting machine soon. It’s not the initial instance. I experienced a similar outcome in 2019 (after undergoing Tommy John surgery following the 2018 season), so I think things will go more smoothly this time around.
Leave a Reply