On eve of his next start, Ohtani goes off with homer, triple

KANSAS CITY -- The buildup for Shohei Ohtani to once again become a fully realized two-way superstar will be a slow, gradual process. But the three-time MVP is getting closer.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced Friday that Ohtani is expected to pitch into the second inning for the first time since 2023 in his third start of the season on Saturday. A few hours later, Ohtani blasted a 429-foot home run into the fountains and lined a 112.4 mph triple into the gap in the Dodgers’ 5-4 win over the Royals at Kauffman Stadium.

It’s the version of Ohtani that Los Angeles has been waiting for since signing the “historic player” to a 10-year, $700 million contract ahead of the 2024 season. The Dodgers are still uncertain how much Ohtani will pitch innings-wise, and it could be determinant on the returns of Tyler Glasnow, who made his second rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday, and Blake Snell -- or even Roki Sasaki in the second half -- but the club isn’t setting any specific plans or role on Ohtani.

“I just think that’s the thing -- having the option to kind of do whatever we want given whatever our roster looks like,” Roberts said pregame. “That’s the beauty of Shohei and being able to pitch.

“ … We just don’t have to be beholden to anything because everything is additive with his innings, so it’s not taking up a roster spot where, if you’re not getting five or six [innings] out of a starting pitcher, it could be costly. You get an inning, two, three, that’s still additive. I just think, honestly for us, it’s one outing at a time and see what’s next for us.”

Ohtani’s third start will mark his next milestone in his recovery from his 2023 elbow surgery -- his second major elbow procedure after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2018. The Dodgers have mapped out a slow return to the mound since Spring Training, but this is the first time the club has committed to giving Ohtani length; albeit, still with precautions.

“I don’t want to kind of put him in a box, but to see him go out there for a second inning, that’s our plan,” Roberts said. “It’s pitch count, it’s stress, it’s all that stuff. So I think to be able to get him into the second inning, I think will be a bonus. We will see how it goes from there.”

Ben Casparius, who has been building up as a starter, followed Ohtani after his past two starts on June 16 and Sunday and is expected to get bulk innings once again, potentially giving Los Angeles another option in the rotation -- especially as Dustin May’s ERA climbed to 4.68 with four earned runs Friday.

While the Dodgers’ decision for Ohtani’s pitching plan will ultimately be made by how he feels both during and after his longest scheduled outing since 2023 on Saturday, there’s no question how Ohtani feels at the plate. The 2025 All-Star starter leads the National League in homers (29), slugging percentage (.649) and OPS (1.045).

His offensive value alone was the difference in the Dodgers’ victory Friday, with Ohtani notching two of their four hits and driving in a pair before closer Tanner Scott escaped a bases-loaded jam to secure a fifth straight win.

“Every night, it’s a different guy,” said Max Muncy, who crushed a two-run homer in the second inning for his fourth long ball in the past four games. “We haven’t gotten everyone to click at the same time, but we’ve had enough guys take over on certain nights that we’ve been able to kind of roll through it. But we’re still waiting for everyone to get going at the same time.”

Ohtani can carry a lot of the load himself while others such as Freddie Freeman (.138 with no homers in his past 15 games) and Mookie Betts (.200 with no homers in his past 15 games) get back to form.

But since Ohtani has started to pitch? He has mashed four homers and driven in 13 runs -- all in his past 11 games.

That’s the type of two-way production the Dodgers cannot wait to have back at full force -- something so valuable it’s hard for Roberts to put into words.

“I don’t think we have any superlatives or adjectives. No, he’s just great,” Roberts said. “It’s fun to watch. To be able to log innings, to be able to then be as impactful as he is offensively, be a great teammate, handle the expectation of fans, media -- I’ve just never seen anything like it.”