The Los Angeles Dodgers created a surplus in their starting rotation by signing Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki, in addition to bringing back Clayton Kershaw for his 18th season.

Ohtani says he will throw his first traditional bullpen session this weekend, at which point he will begin the process of preparing to join the Dodgers’ rotation, likely in May.

Despite not having thrown a single pitch since August 2023 due to a second major elbow ligament reconstruction, Shohei Ohtani already is qualified for two-way player status, a league official told The Athletic.