Amid dueling rehabilitation schedules, Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani took batting practice on Sunday for the first time since offseason shoulder surgery for an injury that occurred during the World Series in October.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed superstar Shohei Ohtani will make his Cactus League debut as a designated hitter at the end of next week. Ohta

Shohei Ohtani has yet to be in the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup for a Cactus League game, nor has he so much as faced batters as a pitcher, but the two-way superstar continues to make progress on both fronts.

Shohei Ohtani threw his second bullpen session of spring training on Tuesday. That continued the process of his return to the mound for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Ohtani, who worked almost exclusively out of the stretch with the Angels, has thrown primarily out of the windup during his first two bullpen sessions this spring. The three-time MVP says he wants

The decision is partly a matter of comfort, with Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto accustomed to pitching essentially once a week dating back to their time in Japan. It also factored prominently, the Dodgers believe, into their ability to land phenom Roki Sasaki this winter — like his countrymen, Sasaki is used to pitching on a once-per-week schedule.

GLENDALE, Ariz. - The last time we saw the Los Angeles Dodgers, their pitching was in tatters. Their starting staff was injured and could only muster short stints. A low-budget bullpen was stretched to the limit.

One of the biggest questions for the Los Angeles Dodgers entering this season is exactly how big of a role Shohei Ohtani will play on the mound for the defending world champions.