The Dodgers reversed course on how they'll configure their rotation to open the season, as president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said Friday that the team will use five starting pitchers until Shohei Ohtani returns to the big league mound.

Follow along for the latest news as the Dodgers open spring training at Camelback Ranch in Phoenix following their World Series-winning campaign.

Frequent off days in April will offer ample rest for the starters, creating competition for the fifth spot before Shohei Ohtani is expected to be ready in May

The Dodgers are hopeful that the real challenge for Shohei Ohtani this year won't be about his health, but rather his process of re-acclimating to the two-way role that made him a superstar.

The decision is partly a matter of comfort, with Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto accustomed to pitching essentially once a week dating back to their time in Japan. It also factored prominently, the Dodgers believe, into their ability to land phenom Roki Sasaki this winter — like his countrymen, Sasaki is used to pitching on a once-per-week schedule.