Ohtani’s Dodgers offseason task: how to sustain two-way workload after 2026 health disruption

For the first time since 2022, Shohei Ohtani did not win MLB’s Most Valuable Player award. Still, the Dodgers were left with a clear takeaway from his 2026 production: when healthy, he remained an all-around outlier both at the plate and on the mound.

In the span of one season, Ohtani was credited with a 143 OPS+ as a hitter and a 237 ERA+ as a pitcher, metrics MLB used to emphasize that his two-way impact was far beyond league average. The same MLB account also stressed that no other player could match the combined value of an equivalent two-way campaign.

But Ohtani’s health set the terms of the season’s second half. MLB reported that ongoing injuries, most notably to his left knee and right biceps, disrupted his 2026 rhythm. After July 3, he did not pitch again, and his offensive production dropped from the middle of August onward.

MLB also reported that Ohtani landed on the injured list in September, but that a period of rest did not meaningfully alter how much he could contribute in the postseason. The team’s practical challenge now is not whether Ohtani can still be dominant, but how to keep him durable enough to sustain that level across a fuller two-way workload.

The Dodgers indicated they are planning around a recovery-first approach entering 2027. MLB reported that Ohtani did not require offseason surgery and is expected to be fully healthy when Spring Training begins. General manager Brandon Gomes also told reporters at the GM Meetings that it will be Ohtani’s decision how his normal offseason throwing program progresses.

Even with spring readiness, MLB framed the longer-term problem as a management question. The Dodgers acknowledged that there is no ready-made blueprint for consistently handling a two-way player through the physical and mental toll of that schedule. MLB added that Dodgers leadership has relied heavily on training-staff communication with Ohtani, including concerns that the team may need to be more proactive in decisions about when he should sit out or scale back.