Former NL West GM Says Ohtani Shouldn’t Hit On Pitching Days

MLB Network analyst Dan O’Dowd wants Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani to stay out of the batting order on days where he pitches. Ohtani played as a pitcher only for the first time since 2021 on Wednesday, and he had his best pitching outing of the season so far . The reigning MVP pitched six innings of one-run baseball, logging 10 strikeouts in the process.

O’Dowd—who served as the Colorado Rockies’ general manager for 15 years—believes Ohtani should take breaks from hitting more often. Apr 15, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani reacts in the second inning against the New York Mets at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images “What I saw last night, I would encourage him to not hit at all when he starts the rest of the year,” O’Dowd said.

The one thing you want to do with Ohtani more than anything else, you want to keep him healthy. Between now to the end of October you want him healthy in whatever capacity you possibly can. “He just looked different to me last night.

Maybe that’s not facts based, that’s opinion based. But he looked fresher, delivery looked cleaner, I thought the effort in the delivery was cleaner, thought his late action in his pitches was better. Everything about his craft last night took another step.