Spring training games have been winding down all week, pitchers have been dialing back their workloads, and in four days — Thursday, March 27 — Major League Baseball returns to full strength for its 162-game grind. Twenty-six teams will tell their fan bases that this is the year. Maybe eight of them are right.
The Los Angeles Dodgers remain the consensus pick to represent the National League deep into October. That is not a controversial position; it is the natural conclusion of watching a payroll above $350 million reassemble itself for another run. Shohei Ohtani enters his third season with the club. In 2025 he hit .309/.400/.623 with 52 home runs and made 19 starts before a lat strain in August ended his pitching season early. The question this spring is whether he can stay healthy on the mound for a full year. Manager Dave Roberts has indicated Ohtani will operate on a reduced pitching schedule — starting every six or seven days rather than the standard five — which is either a protective measure or an acknowledgment that the lat issue is not fully resolved. Probably both.
Continue reading to see the full article
