Shohei Ohtani, dominant postseason reliever?

Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers have a very intriguing dilemma on their hands right now.

On one hand, it seems like the goal is to slowly let Ohtani build back to a pitching workload comparable to most starters. Ohtani is a routine-oriented person who seems to believe this to be the best means of accomplishing that goal.

On the other hand, with October baseball fast approaching, the importance of high-leverage innings late in games will only continue to grow. The biggest moments of playoff games are almost always in the late innings. Ohtani has pitched very well in his 2025 starts, but he’s only been providing short stints, and was cramping up in the fourth inning of his most recent start.

This all begs the question: why not switch gears and use Ohtani as a relief pitcher for the remainder of 2025?

Sure, there are logistical hurdles related to keeping him in the lineup and allowing him to warm up appropriately as a reliever. For instance, it might make sense for him to throw warm-up pitches in the clubhouse rather than having to go all the way out to the bullpen, and limiting his relief role to something overly-specific (e.g. “closer”) might be unwise given the real possibility of his bat being needed with two outs in the 8th. But remember: Ohtani has actually done this before on a big stage. In the 2023 WBC final, he was the starting DH for Japan. He batted third, going 1 for 3 with a walk, then proceeded to close out Japan’s 3-2 victory by famously striking out Mike Trout. Weeks later, he was in Cy-Young caliber starting form for the Angels at the beginning of a season which would ultimately be one of the best we have ever seen.

There are many spectacular things that Shohei Ohtani is capable of. If ever there were a year that seemed optimal for him to make October memories as a two-way slugger and dominant reliever, it would surely add an entirely new volume to a legendary storybook career. I, for one, am hoping he and the Dodgers are thinking along these lines too…