About 2 weeks ago, MLB Insider Bob Nightengale went on the Foul Territory show and said, “I wouldn’t be surprised at all when the season’s over, that we would read that Ohtani underwent surgery for his knee or something.” Now, the reports are out.
Shohei Ohtani will not only not need surgery, but will be ready to pitch as well.
“Shohei Ohtani will NOT need surgery this off-season. The Dodgers are still planning on having him pitch again in 2027,” wrote Talkin’ Baseball, quoting Bob Nightengale.
Reportedly, following a grueling 2026 season plagued by persistent left knee pain and right biceps discomfort, doctors have merely prescribed rest rather than surgical intervention. The Los Angeles Dodgers have received encouraging news heading into 2027. Because he avoids the lengthy rehabilitation timelines tied to orthopedic surgeries, Ohtani’s timeline for the 2027 season remains fully intact.
He will skip an invasive recovery process this winter, allowing him to focus on standard conditioning and rest. The Los Angeles Dodgers expect him to be a full participant in Spring Training when camp opens in February. Ohtani will prepare for 2027 by training on both sides of the ball from day one.
However, the bigger question is whether the Dodgers can keep him healthy while using him as a 2-way unicorn.
Ohtani finished 2026 with an 8-2 record and 95 strikeouts across 14 starts. Yet, left knee and right biceps injuries eventually ended his pitching season, and because of that, his batting also suffered.
Now, the Dodgers must find a better way to manage their biggest star before the next season begins.
“He’s resting. He got assessed. He had a lot of different stuff; his knee was bothering him. An unfortunate game of whack-a-mole, the bicep area,” said Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman.
Friedman expects Ohtani to pitch again in 2027, although his exact schedule remains undecided. Ohtani has also made his intentions clear, saying he definitely plans to pitch next season.
The absence of surgery is encouraging, but it does not guarantee that his body will withstand another full two-way campaign.
Turning 33 in July 2027, Ohtani is entering a phase of his career where standard wear-and-tear takes longer to heal. Relying solely on rest to cure his 2026 ailments indicates that his body needs more recovery time between competitive outputs.
Shohei Ohtani started 2026 determined to prove he could return to a full two-way role after pitching towards the end of 2025. His pitching numbers initially justified that confidence, as he went 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA and had 95 strikeouts across 85.2 innings. This gave the Dodgers a major weapon alongside his powerful bat.
However, his left knee began troubling him during the season, followed by right biceps discomfort.
His final pitching appearance came on July 3, ending a promising campaign.
The pitching shutdown did not immediately restore Ohtani’s batting form, as his recovery and workload remained concerns.
The Dodgers eventually placed him on the IL in September, after months of managing his physical problems. He still finished the regular season batting .275 with 30 home runs and 81 RBIs (.205 avg and .666 OPS since returning from injury), recording the worst career offensive slump.
Yet, those totals showed his value was significant, even as his production declined during the second half. The concern was that Ohtani could no longer maintain both responsibilities without one affecting the other.
That matter became harder to ignore during the postseason, when the Dodgers needed Ohtani to deliver against Milwaukee.
He hit .192 in the playoffs, collecting 5 hits in 26 at-bats before the Dodgers were swept. His biggest moment came in NLCS Game 4, when he launched a three-run homer against the Brewers, his first since mid-August.
But one home run could not erase the broader struggles, leaving Ohtani’s health central to the Dodgers’ offseason plans.
Ohtani’s MLB history shows why the Dodgers cannot treat this as a problem limited to 2026.
During his 2018 rookie season, he made 10 starts with a 3.31 ERA before an elbow injury interrupted his pitching. He underwent Tommy John surgery that October, then needed left knee surgery in 2019. His 2020 return to the mound lasted just 1.2 innings across 2 starts, ending with a 37.80 ERA.
Those early setbacks did not stop his two-way career, but they showed how frequently injuries interrupted his progress.
However, Shohei Ohtani has delivered outstanding seasons when his body allowed him to handle both roles.
In 2021, he hit 46 home runs while making 23 starts on the mound and had 156 strikeouts. The following year, he hit 34 home runs and pitched 166 innings across 28 starts. That remains his highest MLB innings total, alongside 666 plate appearances during the same season.
However, an elbow ligament tear ended his pitching season in 2023, leading to another major operation. He returned as a hitter in 2024 before gradually resuming pitching during the 2025 season.
His experience in Japan also showed that Shotime needed a different schedule from conventional players.
With the Nippon-Ham Fighters, his pitching and batting duties were managed to provide additional recovery time. Before his breakout season, the Fighters didn’t use him as a batter on the days he pitched, and even when they did, he didn’t live up to the expectations that the team had for him. So although he was called a 2-way player, the team was only using him in the lineup on the days he didn’t pitch.
But in 2016, he hit .322 with 22 home runs and recorded a 1.86 ERA across 140 innings. He also struck out 174 batters, helping the Fighters win the Japan Series that year. Right after that, the pattern repeated.
An ankle injury disrupted his 2017 season, followed by surgery for bone spurs after the campaign.
His Japanese career showed what he could achieve, but also why workload management mattered more than anything.
Now, the Dodgers must decide how to protect Shohei Ohtani without taking away the two-way role he and the team want. More rest days, a carefully planned pitching schedule, and earlier responses to discomfort could help protect his health.
The Dodgers have admitted they have no blueprint or historical experience to draw from for a two-way player of his age. Management intends to “throw their heads together” to map out a usage plan that ensures he doesn’t arrive in October physically diminished again.
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