Ohtani made his first major league pitching appearance in almost two years Monday night, and the stakes are high for the defending World Series champions.

Shohei Ohtani could return to a major league mound in the next two weeks but Los Angeles Dodgers rookie right-hander Roki Sasaki has paused his throwing program and is set for a lengthy layoff.

Ohtani will be the Dodgers' opener on Monday night and will be expected to throw for only an inning or two in his return to the mound after suffering a UCL tear in Aug. 2023.

Reigning MVPs Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees and Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers have surged to the top of the 2025 MLB All-Star Game fan voting, according to the first Phase 1 balloting update released by Major League Baseball.