{"id":572320,"date":"2026-02-14T15:05:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-14T15:05:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/572320\/"},"modified":"2026-02-14T15:05:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T15:05:13","slug":"ohtani-talks-normal-offseason-wbc-preparation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/572320\/","title":{"rendered":"Ohtani talks “normal” offseason, WBC preparation"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

LOS ANGELES \u2014 It\u2019s hard to believe it\u2019s already been two weeks since we caught up with all the Dodgers at DodgerFest on January 31st. And now, with the Opening of Spring Training, we offer up the last of our chats with the players. This time with the one and only Shohei Ohtani<\/a>. <\/p>\n

At DodgerFest, he didn\u2019t describe anything dramatic in his winter, and that was thankfully the point. With no surgery to rehab this time, he talked about having a more normal runway into camp, even with the World Baseball Classic hovering on the calendar. A lot of his answers came back to the same thing: keep the body in a good place, keep the work moving forward, and keep talking with the team as decisions get closer.<\/p>\n

\u201cWinning, and then having the offseason after that, it was wonderful,\u201d Ohtani said. \u201cBut in terms of my routine, it didn\u2019t really change. I spent it like a normal offseason, the same as always. There wasn\u2019t surgery, so I felt like I could take it a little slower and do it the right way.\u201d<\/p>\n

On what it means to come into spring feeling healthy, he kept it straightforward. \u201cRight now I\u2019m coming in healthy,\u201d he said. \u201cSo I think things will progress smoothly.\u201d He did add that the WBC changes the calendar a bit. \u201cBecause the WBC is there, I think the preparation might start a little earlier,\u201d Ohtani said, describing it more as a timing adjustment than anything else.<\/p>\n

When he was asked about pitching in the WBC, even though the decision had already been made for him not to pitch, and he dangled a little hope in front of fans. \u201cI don\u2019t know that I\u2019ll pitch in the WBC,\u201d Ohtani said. \u201cI think everyone wants to adjust all the way to the end and decide based on how their body feels. But it\u2019s decided that I will participate, so as a position player I want to prepare for it first.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also talked about that familiar \u201cseason is coming\u201d feeling, and it came from something as basic as the parking lot. \u201cI\u2019ve been coming to the ballpark here and there,\u201d Ohtani said, \u201cbut it\u2019s been a while since I saw the scene of cars filling the parking lot again. That\u2019s when it really hits you, like, the season is starting. It makes you excited.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ohtani was asked about the arc of his velocity and how it dipped early and then ticked back up later, and he returned to what he\u2019s said before: the feel was better the second time around. \u201cI\u2019ve said it many times,\u201d he said, \u201cbut in terms of feel, the first time and the second time were better. I felt like I could throw with confidence.\u201d He credited both the work and the way the rehab progressed. \u201cThat was the result of training,\u201d Ohtani said, \u201cand also because after going through the first time, the second rehab went smoothly.\u201d<\/p>\n

The questions also went toward roster-building and the organization\u2019s ability to add star talent, and Ohtani answered that from the perspective he always seems most comfortable with: commitment to winning, and then getting back to his job. \u201cMy contract is my contract,\u201d he said. \u201cAt the time, we talked about committing to winning and putting everything into that. Mark, the owner, and the front office, we had those conversations.\u201d He said he feels the direction has been steady. \u201cI think we\u2019re definitely moving forward every year toward that,\u201d Ohtani said, \u201cso for Japan, it was a very good offseason.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the WBC itself, he spoke like someone who treats it as a real goal, not just a side story. \u201cI think it was a wonderful tournament last time,\u201d Ohtani said, \u201cand as a player I hope it becomes an even better tournament than before.\u201d He made his personal target clear. \u201cAs Team Japan, we haven\u2019t won the championship yet,\u201d he said, \u201cso I want to aim for that and work hard again.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked what he thinks about a club that can continually sign and care for high-level players, Ohtani didn\u2019t pretend to be an executive. \u201cI\u2019m not a businessperson,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m not running things. As a player, I just play every day.\u201d Still, he gave the front office credit from a distance. \u201cI think it means they\u2019re doing great management,\u201d Ohtani said.<\/p>\n

In Japanese press questions, he gave a more specific update on his pitching build-up. \u201cI\u2019ve gone into the bullpen three or four times,\u201d Ohtani said. \u201cI\u2019m not raising the velocity to the maximum yet, but I\u2019m throwing at a certain level. Around 30 pitches, something like that.\u201d It was the kind of detail that fits the stage he\u2019s in right now: real work, but not the final ramp.<\/p>\n

He also described what it\u2019s like blending into a new season around new faces, even on a team that\u2019s familiar. \u201cLike before, I think you start by matching names and faces,\u201d Ohtani said, \u201cand greeting people. That\u2019s where it begins.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for how the WBC will affect the rest of the year, he focused on the key to it all: his health. \u201cIt\u2019s about my condition,\u201d Ohtani said, \u201cbut also about the season itself.\u201d He pointed out that last year was a return year, and this year is about carrying the workload across a full season, which changes the conversation. \u201cIt becomes a topic that includes not only my condition, but other things too,\u201d he said, \u201cand it\u2019s communication with the team.\u201d The biggest positive, he felt, is that he\u2019s been able to participate smoothly so far. \u201cBeing able to do things smoothly is a plus for me,\u201d Ohtani said. \u201cThat\u2019s a good thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also noted the practical reality of travel timing, and how much of it is still going to be worked out. He said there are preferences about joining earlier and getting work in, but it has to fit around multiple factors. \u201cI want to match the schedule as much as possible,\u201d Ohtani said, \u201cbut there are family things too.\u201d And on top of that, he said it will come down to ongoing coordination. \u201cWhether it\u2019s \u2018come a little earlier,\u2019 or \u2018throw a little more before you go,\u2019 including those things,\u201d Ohtani said, \u201cI think it will be something we keep communicating about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finally, when asked if he feels ahead of schedule, he didn\u2019t bite on the idea that he\u2019s racing the calendar. He basically said \u201cnormal\u201d is a tricky word for him because so many of his recent offseasons have included surgery. \u201cIt\u2019s not like it\u2019s the fastest it\u2019s ever been,\u201d Ohtani said. \u201cBut in my past, it often felt like I was starting the next season after surgery, so it\u2019s hard to say what \u2018normal\u2019 is.\u201d This year, though, he said the setup has been steady. \u201cWithout surgery, as preparation to start toward next season,\u201d Ohtani said, \u201cI think it\u2019s about the usual pace.\u201d<\/p>\n

Have you subscribed to the Bleed Los Podcast YouTube channel<\/a>? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows & promotions, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LOS ANGELES \u2014 It\u2019s hard to believe it\u2019s already been two weeks since we caught up with all…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":572321,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2406],"tags":[5,39,1165,4332,4333,774,57,3224,4331,4],"class_list":{"0":"post-572320","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles-dodgers","8":"tag-baseball","9":"tag-dodgers","10":"tag-la","11":"tag-la-dodgers","12":"tag-ladodgers","13":"tag-los-angeles","14":"tag-los-angeles-dodgers","15":"tag-losangeles","16":"tag-losangelesdodgers","17":"tag-mlb"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116069605268477415","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/572320","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=572320"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/572320\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/572321"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=572320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=572320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=572320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}