Shohei Ohtani will not require surgery on the knee or biceps injuries that hampered him in the second half, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told reporters Wednesday (link via Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic). He should be fully healthy for the start of spring training.
Friedman confirmed Ohtani will return to a two-way role in 2027, as the four-time MVP suggested over the weekend. However, the front office leader declined to answer whether he thought Ohtani could handle a full two-way workload for the entire season. He said the team has not yet decided what kind of limitations Ohtani might face.
A physically hampered Ohtani was a liability for the Dodgers down the stretch and into the postseason. He missed a few weeks in September with a biceps issue and didn’t hit well while playing despite his injury. Ohtani went nearly two months between his last regular-season home run in mid-August and the three-run shot he hit in Game 4 of the NLCS, their eventual playoff game. He did not pitch after July 3 due to a left knee problem.
Ohtani was firing on all cylinders in the first half. He carried a .293/.403/.549 slash line with 22 home runs until the All-Star Break. He was also in the Cy Young conversation entering the season with a 1.79 ERA and 28% strikeout rate over his first 14 starts.
While Ohtani will avoid surgery, the reliever Will Klein I wasn’t so lucky. The Dodgers announced that the right-hander underwent elbow surgery to remove bone chips this afternoon. This is a relatively minor surgery that is not expected to impact his availability for spring training. Klein, a surprise World Series contributor in 2025, has pitched a career-high 41 2/3 innings with a 3.67 ERA with a 26% strikeout rate this year. He missed the final two months of the season with an elbow injury. (The Dodgers also announced more significant surgery for the backup catcher/DH. Dalton rushes this afternoon.)
Friedman also addressed the coaching staff, indicating he expects the entire group to return in 2027 (link via ESPN’s Alden González). This will be the status quo for Dave Roberts’ 12th season at the helm. Bench coach Danny Lehmann has garnered attention as a managerial candidate in the past, but has not been publicly linked to vacancies in Houston or Seattle this cycle. There have been no definite candidates for the Angels vacancy that emerged this afternoon when they officially declined their option on Kurt Suzuki.
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