"Everything with Shohei Ohtani is uncharted territory" - Dodgers president gets honest about unique situation of $700,000,000 star's rehab

LA Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani has set himself miles apart from most major league baseball players with his stellar resume, which features three MVP awards.

Ohtani's 2024 season, his first after signing a mammoth 10-year, $700 million contract, saw him make an impression from the batting plate only, as he was recovering from elbow surgery, which kept him off the mound.

He went on to become first major league hitter to enter the 50-50 club by slugging 54 home runs and stealing 58 bags in the 2024 season. In 2025, he's expected to return to the mound.

With spring training workouts starting at Camelback Ranch, Glendale, Arizona, Dodgers president Andrew Friedman delved into Ohtani's recovery after coming off two surgeries, especially Tommy John in 2023. When a reporter asked Friedman about the same, he had a nonchalant reply.

"Everything with Shohei is uncharted territory," Friedman told reporters. "You know, it's as unique as it gets, and it's why my contention is that he's the most talented player to ever play this game — just the ability to do both so well. And now it comes down to questions that we can't answer until he's in the flow of it.

"It will be constant communication, just making sure that we're all synced up and able to read and react based on how things are going."

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There are no "data points" to draw from as Andrew Friedman speaks on 'unique' situation with Shohei Ohtani

Shohei Ohtani is an unprecedented star in his own right. He not only hits monstrous home runs from the plate but also has an uncanny ability to throw 100 mph fastballs when he's on the mound. No one in MLB can do that, no one except Ohtani.

Thus, Andrew Friedman, when asked about Ohtani's role in 2025, said:

"You know, what he's doing is incredibly unique, and the toll it takes—none of us have data points to draw from ... It's so unique that we absolutely need his feedback. He's also so dialed in to how he feels and how his body is doing that it will be an active conversation between all of us."

At the moment, as Shohei Ohtani himself indicated, the club is not going to rush him into pitching. It all depends on how he feels about his arm and whether it can take the workload of a major league starter. Come Opening Day, the expectation of Ohtani being on the rotation for the first few weeks appear slim at the moment.