Superstar Shohei Ohtani is officially skipping surgery this offseason, even after left knee irritation and right biceps discomfort dogged him through much of the 2026 season. Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman confirmed the news at the team’s end-of-year press conference, dropping the big one that the four-time MVP is still expected to pitch next season.
No Knife Needed: What Friedman Said About Ohtani’s Aches
Man, Ohtani battled, didn’t he? Friedman laid it out flat: despite that left knee irritation and the right biceps discomfort being a real pain in the knee and biceps for most of the 2026 campaign, the superstar won’t be going under the knife this offseason. That’s a huge call, right? Usually, you hear about that kind of lingering pain, and surgery is almost always on the table. But the Dodgers, fresh off their MLB playoff exit, are apparently confident enough in Ohtani’s recovery without it.
The Mound Awaits: Ohtani’s 2027 Pitching Outlook
So, what does no surgery mean for the guy who’s already taken home four MVP trophies? Friedman didn’t just stop at the injury update, he went straight for the good stuff. The Dodgers’ top baseball ops guy expects Ohtani to pitch next season. Yeah, you read that right. After a campaign where these issues were a constant bother, the plan is still for him to be back on the bump in 2027. It’s a testament to what they must be seeing behind the scenes, or maybe just how much they believe in their four-time MVP.
It’s an offseason decision that sets the stage for a wild 2027. All eyes will be on Ohtani, the four-time MVP, to see if he can truly shake off those 2026 issues and reclaim his dual-threat dominance on the mound and at the plate without hitting the operating table. The expectation is there, and now we just wait to see it play out.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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