Ohtani has not pitched since August of 2023 when he tore his UCL while with the Los Angeles Angels. Roberts was a bit more optimistic about Ohtani's timeline this offseason, saying that he could be back on the mound by May.

It will be a while before Shohei Ohtani is pitching in a major league game again. On Thursday, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told Jim Rome that Ohtani's recovery from Tommy John surgery is ongoing. While he gave a lot of positive updates, there was a negative tossed in at the end.