Shohei Ohtani playfully calls out Roki Sasaki & Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s height difference

The Los Angeles Dodgers' Japanese contingent strengthened in the offseason after the reigning World Series winners added pitching sensation Roki Sasaki to the team that already featured Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Roki Sasaki took the mound in Game 2 of the Tokyo Series against the Chicago Cubs, following Yoshinobu Yamamoto's start in Game 1, to make his MLB debut with the NL West team.

Since joining the team in January, Sasaki has become a talking point with his electric pitches. However, the 23-year-old's height seems to have caught three-time MVP Shohei Ohtani's attention.

In a video shared on Instagram, Ohtani compared Yamamoto's height to Sasaki, highlighting how small Yamamoto looked when Sasaki stood next to him.

"The funniest is when they are sitting, they are almost the same height. But as soon as they stand up, he (Yamamoto) looks tiny," Ohtani said mimicking their heights in the video."

The Japanese trio was seen sharing a laugh after Shohei Ohtani's hilarious comparison. Yamamoto jokingly replied to Ohtani, saying he'd never stand up next to Sasaki.

Shohei Ohtani to throw bullpen session for Dodgers on Saturday

Shohei Ohtani, who is slated to make his pitching return in the upcoming season, will participate in a bullpen session on Saturday, per Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. While the two-way phenom is expected to make his pitching return in May, Roberts is keeping October baseball in mind for Ohtani during his rehab in Spring.

“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.”

Shohei Ohtani threw pitches in the early part of Spring Training but was restricted from pitching with the team managing his workload ahead of the season opener in Tokyo.

“Given what he’s gone through, keeping his arm going, I think that's kind of fair,” Roberts said. “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.”

The Dodgers are not rushing back Shohei Ohtani as the reigning World Series winners boast of a stacked rotation featuring Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki.