Shohei Ohtani's missing shock factor identified by Twins veteran

Despite Shohei Ohtani's strong start to the MLB season, many believe that the Los Angeles Dodgers star is not having the start he is capable of. The 30-year-old is already putting up numbers that project another MVP-calibre season, but his stellar performances seem to be normalized among baseball fans.

One former Minnesota Twins player has explained that this missing shock factor is because he has not pitched in the MLB for more than a year, taking his two-way prowess out of consideration.

When Shohei Ohtani made the move to the MLB in 2018, he was the most unique player in the modern game due to his two-way ability. For generations, there has not been a baseball player with the kind of skill set that Ohtani brings. However, a second Tommy John surgery in his career saw him miss out on pitching last season and he is yet to return to the mound.

Speaking on Thursday's episode of "Just Baseball," former Twins star Trevor Plouffe identifies his pitching restriction as the main reason he is missing some of the shock factor this season (11:20 onwards):

"I think not only do people have a little bit of Ohtani fatigue, I think they have Dodgers fatigue as well. We talked about them so much. They got off to that start now they've been losing some baseball games. But I still feel like Ohtani is the center of attention of most baseball shows, most baseball fans."

"Right now we see him as this incredible 50-50 guy, this incredible hitter... but the reason we love this guy and are astounded by what he does is because he can also pitch. So once that happens again, yes we'll get the initial Ohtani shock factor back."

In 20 appearances for the Dodgers this season, Ohtani has a .288 average with six home runs and eight RBIs, while leading the NL with 21 runs scored. While expected to return to the mound this season, there is no exact date set on his return.

Dodgers manager reveals Shohei Ohtani is still a few months away from a return to the mound

Shohei Ohtani threw his third bullpen session over the last weekend but there has been no update on his return to the mound. Speaking on "The Jim Rome Show" this week, manager Dave Roberts gave an update on the expected timeline, saying:

"Time of return, we're still a couple of months away. I know that's still vague... but surely expect him to pitch for us this year and through the postseason."

Roberts said that Ohtani looked great in the bullpen session and will be facing batters in practice soon. The Los Angeles Dodgers are currently second in the NL West with a 14-6 record in the MLB and will be eager to have Ohtani back in their starting rotation.