Shohei Ohtani says he 'definitely' plans to pitch in 2027

Shohei Ohtani says he is planning to pitch again. Per MLB.com's Brian Murphy, the Dodgers two-way star stated he "definitely" intends to take the mound in 2027, a direct signal of intent after a 2026 season in which injuries kept him off the mound for the final 3 months.

What happened

Brian Murphy reported for MLB.com that Ohtani expressed clear intent to return to pitching in 2027, using the word "definitely" — which, in the careful grammar of athlete injury updates, lands somewhere between a press release and a pinky promise. The statement arrives in the wake of what Ohtani himself described, per a Posterior Wire item from four days ago, as an injury-plagued 2026 campaign. That earlier report noted Ohtani flagged significant health issues following the Dodgers' NLCS exit, and his comments to Murphy now extend that candor into a forward-looking declaration.

The two-way designation has always made Ohtani's roster management a particular exercise in organizational optimism. Under general league rules, two-way players are subject to the 15-day injured list rather than the 10-day IL that applies to position players — a structural acknowledgment that pitching and hitting are, in fact, two different jobs, and that losing one half of the arrangement is its own category of roster disruption. The Dodgers navigated that disruption across the final stretch of the regular season with Ohtani contributing only as a hitter.

Why it matters

The operational stakes here are considerable. A healthy, pitching Ohtani is a different roster construction problem — and a different competitive asset — than a designated-hitter Ohtani. The Dodgers built around the full version of him, and the 2026 season offered a prolonged look at what the partial version costs, even on a team that finished 100-62.

His statement does not come with a timetable, a diagnosis, or a medical clearance. It is an expression of intent, reported by Murphy, and it should be read as such. The desk is not in the business of projecting health outcomes, and neither, apparently, is Ohtani — he said "definitely," not "Opening Day."

The numbers

The Dodgers finished 100-62 (.617), first in the NL West, and carried a three-game winning streak into the postseason. That record reflects a club that absorbed Ohtani's pitching absence and kept winning, which is either a testament to organizational depth or a quiet argument that the 2027 version — with Ohtani back on the mound — could be something more.

Where the club stands

Los Angeles enters the offseason sitting atop the NL West at 100-62 (.617), riding a W3 streak. The roster, however, is already in motion. A week removed from the NLCS exit, the Dodgers are managing a wave of roster decisions that will shape what the 2027 club looks like before Ohtani throws a single pitch.

Miguel Rojas announced his retirement from MLB following the end of the Dodgers' postseason run, per a Posterior Wire item from three days ago. Catcher Ben Rortvedt elected minor league free agency after being outrighted off the 40-man roster in September, per a report from two days ago. And the biggest structural question hanging over the offseason — what happens with Tarik Skubal, whom the Dodgers acquired from the Tigers ahead of the August 3 trade deadline in exchange for three prospects — remains unresolved, per a Posterior Wire item from three days ago.

That Skubal question is not incidental to the Ohtani news. The Dodgers' rotation calculus for 2027 runs directly through both of them, and the front office now has Ohtani's stated intent as one data point in what will be a complicated offseason construction project.

What we don't know yet

Ohtani's statement, as reported by Murphy, does not include a specific injury diagnosis, a projected return timeline, or any detail about what the final 3 months of 2026 actually cost him physically. "Definitely plans to pitch in 2027" is the full scope of what has been reported, and the desk will not dress it up as more than that.

It is also worth noting that the Dodgers have not issued any formal roster or medical announcement regarding Ohtani's status. This is a player speaking to a reporter about his intentions — meaningful, newsworthy, and still a long way from a spring training roster spot.

Is Ohtani expected to be ready for spring training?

No timetable has been reported. Murphy's piece establishes intent, not a schedule. The Dodgers have not announced a target date, and Ohtani's comments, as relayed by MLB.com, do not include one. The gap between "definitely plans to pitch" and "will be on the mound in February" is where all the interesting and currently unanswerable questions live.

What to watch

The Skubal situation is the most immediate thread to pull. How the Dodgers handle his status this offseason will say something about how much rotation certainty they feel they have — and Ohtani's stated intent, however genuine, is not the same as a guaranteed arm in the rotation. Watch for any formal club communication about Ohtani's health, any timetable that emerges from the medical staff, and how the front office approaches pitching depth given that the 2026 season demonstrated, at some length, what a rotation without a pitching Ohtani actually requires.

The 100-win baseline is a comfortable place to plan from. Whether 2027 gets to add a fully operational Ohtani back to that foundation is the question the Dodgers — and everyone watching them — will be tracking from now until he takes the mound.