Ohtani last pitched in August 2023. He went 38-19 with a 3.01 ERA across 86 starts in six seasons with the Angels. Ohtani finished fourth in AL Cy Young voting in 2022, when he tallied a 15-9 record, 2.33 ERA, and 219 strikeouts.

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.

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.