Dodgers duo Shohei Ohtani and Will Smith steal the spotlight in spring training finale vs Angels

LA Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and catcher Will Smith are in fine form ahead of the home opener against the Detroit Tigers on Thursday. The duo played in the spring training finale against the LA Angels on Tuesday at Angel Stadium.

Smith provided the Dodgers with their first runs with a home run off J. Kochanowicz in the second inning to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead. The home run traveled 387 ft. with an exit velocity of 102.6 mph and launch angle of 28 degrees.

In the third inning, Ohtani almost went deep but ended up hitting his third double of the season. He celebrated in an iconic way after the hit.

The Dodgers scored two more runs in the top of the ninth. Joe Vetrano scored on the wild pitch from Brady Choban, while Miguel Rojas drove in the fourth run of the Dodgers through a sac-fly.

The game ended 4-1 in favor of the Dodgers.

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Latest update on Shohei Ohtani's possible return to mound

While Shohei Ohtani as a hitter continues to turn games on their head, his ability to throw 100 mph+ fastballs from the mound makes him a standout athlete altogether.

After undergoing elbow surgery in 2023, Ohtani was forced to miss the 2024 regular season on the mound. After a year of recovery and offseason precautions, Ohtani is set to resume his throwing program, with Dodgers manager Dave Roberts taking a long-term approach.

The manager set late May as a return date, but the club will be extremely cautious every step of the way, as they can't afford to lose Ohtani as a hitter.

“This is a long-term play for Shohei’s well-being also,” Roberts said. “So making sure that we're as cautious and careful as we possibly can (be). And, yeah, for 2025, the most important piece of this is having him be able to do both through the end of the season, through October.

“Given what he’s gone through, keeping his arm going, I think that's kind of fair,” Roberts added. “But I don't know what that looks like as far as leadership. I'm not going to try to prognosticate, but I think that it's a fair take.”

Roberts is banking on possibly 18-20 starts from Shohei Ohtani this year.