Shohei Ohtani's bold praise draws blunt 2-word reaction from Stanford freshman Rintaro Sasaki

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani is one of the most popular baseball players in the world. So far, the 30-year-old has three MVP awards to his name.

Having hit 54 home runs in the 2024 season, Ohtani is regarded as one of the finest hitters in the big leagues. It appears another up-and-coming Japanese talent, Rintaro Sasaki, may be on his way to joining him soon.

Currently only 19 years old, Sasaki is playing college baseball for Stanford, after enjoying a hugely succesfull high school career in Japan, where he hit a record-breaking 140 home runs. Sasaki's swing has already prompted comparisons to Ohtani, with the 30-year-old allegedly even going as far as to say the youngster's technique is better than his own.

In a clip posted to Instagram by ESPN on Wednesday, however, the first baseman bluntly reacted to those statements, promptly refusing.

"Absolutely no." Rintatro Sasaki said, speaking to Stephen Nelson.

Incidentally, both Rintaro and Ohtani hail from the Iwate prefecture of Japan. The pair actually go way back, as Ohtani also played for Hanamaki Higashi High School, where Sasaki also went on to star. Rintaro's father, Hiroshi, was also Ohtani's coach back in his high school days.

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Shohei Ohtani adresses fears of potential re-injury ahead of opening spring training clash against Chicago Cubs

Heading into the new season, Shohei Ohtani is set to make his much-anticipated return to the mound at some point. However, the superstar is not set to have a rehab assignment, as he will continue playing as a DH throughout spring training, just like he did all through the 2024 campaign.

Naturally, this led to some fears of potential re-injury whenever he did eventually pitch again. Ohtani, however, who has experience of recovering from a Tommy John injury in the past, put those fears to rest as he adressed the matter on Thursday, ahead of the Dodgers' spring training clash against the Chicago Cubs.

"I've actually had done this in the past when I had my past injury, so I'm not too concerned about it. It's just confirming the real and feel aspect of it as we go into different stages. That is my No. 1 concern" Shohei Ohtani said.

Heading into the new season, Dodgers fans will be excited to see Ohtani in action once again, hoping that their superstar can carry on where he left off in 2024 and challenge for an MVP award yet again.