Shohei Ohtani sets aim for 50 spring training at-bats before Dodgers opener

Shohei Ohtani has already wowed fans at Los Angeles Dodgers spring training, but he wants to put in much more work before he considers himself ready for the regular season.

The star slugger wants to have 50 spring training at-bats under his belt by the time the regular season begins, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters. Ohtani later confirmed that to be the case when approached by reporters.

"As long as my body is feeling good and reacting the right way the next day, then we should be good," Ohtani said through his interpreter.

Ohtani has already logged five at-bats through two live batting practice sessions, which will count toward his goal. He had his first live batting practice on Monday, recording three at-bats before posting two more at-bats during a live batting practice session on Wednesday. He homered off Dodgers reliever J.P. Feyereisen on Monday, but he wasn't able to find similar success on Wednesday. Reliever Daniel Hudson walked Ohtani on four pitches before hitting a grounder to second base against lefty Ryan Yarbrough.

The two live batting practice sessions mark part of the recovery process for Ohtani after he underwent surgery to repair a torn UCL in his elbow in September. Ohtani won't pitch this season, but he's been expected to be ready to hit by Opening Day. 

The surgically repaired elbow hasn't caused Ohtani any discomfort through the first two live batting practice sessions so far, saying he's "trending in the right direction."

"There's nothing there," Ohtani said. "My body is reacting really well so far."

Interestingly enough, the five live batting practice at-bats Ohtani's taken so far will count toward the 50-at-bat goal allowing him to combine simulated practice situations and spring training games to reach the threshold. That's likely why he feels he's got "more than enough time to get to 50 at-bats."

"There's not a huge difference within a game or inside," Ohtani said of his approach. "The main thing is looking for is the timing aspect, when [I'm] late on pitches or early. How [my] body reacts, how the bat reacts, there's not too big of a difference."

Ohtani has typically played around a dozen spring training games, recording around 35 plate appearances in the exhibition season most years he's been in the majors. The two exceptions are 2020, in which spring training ended early due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and last year, playing just five spring training games with the Los Angeles Angels. 

Roberts seemed to be on board with whatever Ohtani feels is right for him to get prepared for the season, saying Ohtani setting a goal "makes us all feel better on how we get to that point" of getting him ready.

"Some people would rather play in a Cactus League game because it gets their adrenaline going more. Some people feel that if you're playing on a backfield or in a simulated [game], you can get what you put into it," Roberts said. "I'm still learning Shohei. But there's got to be a lot of trust on my side. If he needs more at-bats or wants to play in more games, we can acquiesce and I'm fine with it."

Ohtani won't play in the Dodgers' Cactus League opening game against the San Diego Padres on Thursday. He might not make his exhibition debut for the Dodgers for a bit, as he isn't expected to play this week.

Still, Ohtani has just under a month to get 45 more at-bats in. The Dodgers open up the season against the Padres in Seoul, South Korea on March 20 for a two-game set, which will officially mark Ohtani's debut with the team after signing a record-setting 10-year, $700 million contract over the offseason.