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.

After a dominant offensive season, Shohei Ohtani is making progress in his pitching recovery, aiming to return to the mound in 2025 with the Dodgers.

With spring training underway and the Los Angeles Dodgers sorting out their version of a "Murderer's Row" level of starting pitching, president Andrew Friedman confirmed on Friday the staff would begin the 2025 campaign with a five-man rotation,