Shohei Ohtani won't need surgery and expects to return to two-way play, timeline unclear

Shohei Ohtani does not need surgery and expects to return to two-way play, MLB.com's Sonja Chen reported — though the precise shape of that return, and when it arrives, is still an open question.

What happened

Per Sonja Chen's reporting for MLB.com, Ohtani has avoided a surgical path and is looking ahead to resuming his role as both a hitter and a pitcher. The report carries a confidence level that reflects genuine optimism without locking in specifics: the destination is two-way baseball, but the road map has not been drawn yet.

That framing matters. "Expects to return" is doing real work in this sentence. It is not a timetable. It is not a medical clearance. It is a direction of travel, and the Dodgers and their fans would be wise to hold it at that distance for now.

This update arrives in the context of a week's worth of Ohtani news. He had already said — on multiple occasions, per earlier reporting — that he "definitely" plans to pitch in 2027, a word choice that carries its own weight coming from a player who missed the final three months of the season on the mound due to injury. The no-surgery news from Sonja Chen's MLB.com report adds a meaningful layer: the recovery path, at least as currently understood, does not require going under the knife.

Why it matters

The Dodgers finished the season at 100-62 (.617), first in the NL West and riding a three-game winning streak. A franchise operating at that altitude does not get there by accident, and Ohtani — even in a limited pitching capacity — is a central reason the organization commands the attention it does every offseason.

Two-way players are genuinely rare in the modern game, and Ohtani is the only one operating at the level he does. When he pitches, he is not a novelty act filling innings; he is a legitimate rotation piece. When he hits, he is among the most dangerous bats in the sport. The question of whether Los Angeles gets both versions of him in 2027 is not a footnote to the offseason — it is the headline.

The no-surgery news removes one of the more alarming possible outcomes from the board. A surgical recovery, depending on the procedure, can stretch well into the following season and complicate spring preparation in ways that ripple through a roster. That scenario, at least for now, appears to be off the table.

Is Ohtani pitching in 2027?

That is the question every Dodgers fan has been asking since the mound went quiet in the second half of the season. Per the reporting, Ohtani himself has said he "definitely" plans to pitch in 2027. The no-surgery update from Sonja Chen's MLB.com report supports the plausibility of that plan. What it does not supply is a date, a workload projection, or a guarantee that the plan survives contact with a full spring training.

"Definitely" from Ohtani is worth something. He is not a player given to public overclaiming. But the desk will note, gently, that the word "expects" in the headline and the word "definitely" from the player are both expressions of intent — and intent, in baseball medicine, is the beginning of a conversation, not the end of one.

The numbers

The Dodgers' season line tells its own story: 100-62 (.617), sitting first in the NL West. That record reflects a team that found ways to win even as its two-way centerpiece was unavailable on the mound for the final three months of the season. Whatever the Dodgers were in 2026 without a pitching Ohtani, adding that dimension back — even partially — changes the calculus considerably.

Where the club stands

Los Angeles closed the season at 100-62 (.617), leading the NL West and carrying a three-game winning streak into the offseason. The roster, meanwhile, is already in motion. Miguel Rojas announced his retirement following the end of the Dodgers' postseason run, per earlier reporting. Catcher Ben Rortvedt elected minor league free agency after being outrighted off the 40-man roster in September. And the question of what happens with Tarik Skubal — acquired from the Tigers ahead of the August 3 trade deadline in exchange for three prospects — has been described as the biggest question of the Dodgers' offseason.

That is a lot of moving pieces for a front office to manage simultaneously, and Ohtani's health status sits at the center of all of it. Roster construction around a two-way Ohtani looks different from roster construction around a designated-hitter-only Ohtani, which looks different again from a scenario where his availability is genuinely uncertain deep into spring.

What we don't know yet

The report establishes that surgery is not required and that Ohtani anticipates returning to two-way play. It does not establish when that return begins, what workload it involves, or how the Dodgers plan to structure his spring. The exact timeline and role, per Sonja Chen's reporting, remain up in the air.

It is also worth noting that "expects to return to two-way form" and a guaranteed return to two-way form are meaningfully different things. The former reflects a player's current understanding of his own trajectory. The latter would require medical certainty that no one has publicly claimed. The desk is not being pessimistic here — the no-surgery news is genuinely good — but precision is a courtesy to the reader.

What the Dodgers communicate about Ohtani's 2027 preparation, and when, will be worth watching closely. So will any updates on the Skubal situation, which intersects directly with how Los Angeles thinks about its rotation if Ohtani's pitching return is gradual or delayed.

What to watch

The immediate follow-up questions are straightforward: Does the club offer any additional detail on Ohtani's recovery structure before or during the winter meetings? Does Skubal's status get resolved in a way that accounts for — or hedges against — uncertainty in Ohtani's pitching timeline? And does Ohtani himself add any specificity to his "definitely" when he speaks publicly again?

The no-surgery news is the best version of an uncertain situation. A 100-win club with a healthy, two-way Ohtani potentially on the horizon is a different kind of offseason than the alternative. For now, the direction is right. The details are still coming.