The Los Angeles Dodgers remain hopeful that Shohei Ohtani will pitch again this season, but his role could look considerably different if he returns to the mound.

Manager Dave Roberts indicated that Ohtani will not necessarily return as a traditional full-length starter. Instead, Los Angeles is considering using him as a multi-inning opener who could provide one, two or three innings when needed.

According to Sonja Chen from MLB.com, Roberts explained that any innings the Dodgers receive from Ohtani should be considered a bonus because of his responsibilities as a two-way player.

Roberts is therefore not particularly concerned about how many innings Ohtani can provide or the timeline required to build him back up.

“Any inning, any innings we get from him are bonuses, given he’s a two-way player,” Roberts said. “So I think whether it’s one inning, two innings, three innings, I’m not too concerned about the timeline.”

The possibility of a reduced pitching role makes sense considering how heavily Los Angeles relies on Ohtani offensively.

The Dodgers have also reinforced their pitching staff enough to make him less essential to the rotation.

Deploying Ohtani in shorter bursts could allow Los Angeles to benefit from his pitching ability while reducing the physical demands and potential injury risk associated with working deep into starts.

Ohtani has already demonstrated that he remains more than capable on the mound.

The right-hander is 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA and 0.95 WHIP in 85.2 innings across 14 starts this season.

However, multiple injuries have prevented him from pitching since July 3.

Ohtani has remained in the Dodgers’ lineup as a hitter, but the organization is unwilling to take unnecessary risks by rushing his return to pitching.

Despite the optimism surrounding his recovery, there remains no guarantee that Ohtani will pitch again during the 2026 season.

What makes a potential limited return so intriguing is Ohtani’s ability to impact a game without needing a conventional workload. His versatility gives Roberts options that simply do not exist with an ordinary pitcher.

Ohtani’s preparation and adaptability are particularly valuable in that scenario.

Moving from a traditional starting role into shorter appearances requires a different routine. However, his experience balancing hitting and pitching has already demanded unusual flexibility throughout his career.

His presence could also create difficult decisions for opposing managers. Los Angeles could deploy him strategically against a specific portion of a lineup rather than asking him to navigate the same hitters multiple times.

Most importantly, the Dodgers do not need to force anything. Ohtani remains an essential part of their offense, and protecting his health must remain the priority.

If he is physically capable of contributing from the mound again, even a few innings at a time could provide Los Angeles with another unique weapon.