Overview
- Ohtani returned to the mound Wednesday against the Giants at Camelback Ranch, allowing one hit with four strikeouts over 4 1/3 scoreless innings on 61 pitches.
- His fastball touched 99.9 mph as he worked through occasional command lapses that included two walks and a hit batter.
- Manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani will pitch once more in the preseason against the Angels and serve as designated hitter on Friday versus the Padres.
- Los Angeles is building his workload after he did not pitch for Japan in the WBC, where he served as DH while keeping up with bullpens and a four-inning simulated game.
- Coming off September 2023 elbow surgery and a 2025 return that featured a 2.87 ERA in 14 starts, Ohtani’s build-up positions him to likely make his regular-season pitching debut in the Dodgers’ second series.