Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman announced on Wednesday at Dodger Stadium that Shohei Ohtani will not require surgery for the right biceps and left knee injuries that derailed his 2026 season. Medical staff have prescribed rest instead, clearing the 32-year-old two-way star to begin his offseason training regimen without undergoing operations.
Surgery Avoided After Persistent Summer Injuries
Ohtani has dealt with discomfort in his right biceps and left knee since at least June. The physical toll eventually forced him off the mound entirely after his July 3 start, while his offensive output began sliding significantly by mid-August as he attempted to ramp up his throwing program. Friedman noted during his end-of-season press conference that the physical setbacks accumulated before the organization placed Ohtani on the injured list following Labor Day. Despite returning for the final stretch of the regular season, Ohtani finished the year with a diminished presence in October, going 5-for-26 (.192) with just one extra-base hit—a three-run homer in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series.
Friedman Expects Full Two-Way Return in 2027
Despite the lost months of pitching and a difficult postseason in which the Milwaukee Brewers swept Los Angeles, Friedman stated that he fully expects Ohtani to pitch again in the 2027 season. Ohtani echoed that sentiment after the team’s postseason exit, stating through an interpreter that he plans to wipe the slate clean with his training and treatment programs. However, managing the unique workload remains an uncharted path for the franchise. Friedman emphasized the unprecedented nature of Ohtani’s role, noting that the team has no prior organizational blueprint or historical precedent to lean on when balancing a full regular-season schedule with peak performance in October.
Weighing a Modified Spring Rotation Schedule
To protect Ohtani from another mid-summer physical breakdown, the Dodgers are weighing proactive adjustments for 2027, including the possibility of holding him out of the starting rotation at the very beginning of the campaign even if he is healthy enough to pitch. Friedman pointed out that the team must evaluate every detail of how to sequence his hitting and pitching duties during the opening month. In 2022, during his age-27 season, Ohtani logged a career-high 166 innings across 28 pitching starts alongside 666 plate appearances, but he has never previously begun a season as a two-way player and pitched in the postseason that same year.
Communication Challenges and Team-Wide Offensive Slumps
Reflecting on the 2026 campaign, Friedman acknowledged that elite competitors rarely transmit the exact severity of their physical ailments in their drive to remain on the field. That tendency created a slight communication hurdle as Ohtani pushed through July before his production dipped. While Ohtani’s late-season slide impacted the lineup—ending the regular season with 11 hits and 29 strikeouts over his final 70 at-bats—Friedman pointed out that the club’s early playoff exit was compounded by a team-wide offensive slump that saw the Dodgers bat 4-for-27 with runners in scoring position during the NLCS. With no changes planned for manager Dave Roberts’ coaching staff, Ohtani and the Dodgers face the task of designing a sustainable training blueprint from scratch before spring preparations.
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“I fully expect him to pitch next year.” Andrew Friedman provides an update on Shohei Ohtani’s health and how the Dodgers plan to manage his workload next season. pic.twitter.com/SjrTqLurUD
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