An ailing Ohtani's poor form was blamed as one of the key factors for the Dodgers' failed playoff campaign, which ended in a 4-0 series sweep to the Milwaukee Brewers last week. He, however, started to bounce back, especially after launching a three-run home run in Game 4.
Ohtani, 32, had struggled with knee and biceps problems since July, and the Dodgers have faced scrutiny over their management of the four-time Most Valuable Player's injuries leading into the playoffs.
But while some commentators have questioned whether Ohtani's grueling pitching and hitting workload was behind his dip in form, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said Wednesday Ohtani would continue to pitch next season.
Friedman told reporters that surgery for Ohtani was "not on the table" as he described the star's injuries as a game of "whack-a-mole.
"He had a lot of different stuff going on," Friedman said of Ohtani. His knee was bothering him off and on.
"It was a little bit of an unfortunate game of whack-a-mole. The knee would get to a good spot and then the bicep was bothering him. It was a number of different things – some that would calm down for a period, some that would get re-irritated."
Ohtani, whose elite pitching and hitting have led some to call him the greatest player in baseball history, was expected to target a Cy Young pitching award in 2026 before injuries kept him from pitching.
Friedman said while the Dodgers wanted Ohtani to pitch next season, the team would develop a strategy that allowed their star player to reach the postseason in peak form.
"I'm not only expecting him to pitch, but I'm excited about him pitching," Friedman said.
"So now it's a question of how do we manage a long season and have him at his best going into October. That's the challenge and we've got to figure it out together."
In statistical terms, Ohtani's figures in 2026 marked his worst since signing for the Dodgers in 2023.
After lashing 54 and 55 home runs in his first two regular season campaigns with the Dodgers in 2024 and 2025, Ohtani cracked only 30 homers this year.
His batting average dipped to .275, down from 2024 (.310) and 2025 (.282).