The Los Angeles Dodgers have ruled out offseason surgery for Shohei Ohtani, confirming on Wednesday that the Japanese superstar will not require an operation despite dealing with several injuries towards the end of the season.

Ohtani’s struggles at the plate were considered one of the key factors behind the Dodgers’ disappointing playoff campaign, which ended with a 4-0 series sweep by the Milwaukee Brewers last week. However, the two-way star showed signs of improvement, highlighted by a three-run home run in Game 4.

The 32-year-old has been dealing with knee and biceps problems since July, prompting questions about how the Dodgers managed the four-time Most Valuable Player’s fitness ahead of the postseason.

Concerns also emerged over whether Ohtani’s demanding workload as both a pitcher and hitter contributed to his decline in performance. However, Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations, confirmed on Wednesday that the club expects Ohtani to return to the mound next season.

Friedman also made it clear that surgery was “not on the table”, describing the player’s injury troubles as an ongoing game of “whack-a-mole”.

“He had a lot of different stuff going on,” Friedman said, explaining that Ohtani’s knee had been bothering him intermittently.

“It was a little bit of an unfortunate game of whack-a-mole. The knee would get to a good spot and then the bicep was bothering him. It was a number of different things – some that would calm down for a period, some that would get re-irritated.”

Ohtani’s extraordinary ability to excel as both a hitter and a pitcher has led many to consider him one of the greatest players in baseball history. He had been expected to pursue the Cy Young Award in 2026, but his injury problems prevented him from pitching as planned.

Despite those setbacks, Friedman remains confident that Ohtani will return to pitching next season. The Dodgers now face the challenge of managing his workload throughout the regular season to ensure he is in peak condition for the playoffs.

“I’m not only expecting him to pitch, but I’m excited about him pitching,” Friedman said.

“So now it’s a question of how do we manage a long season and have him at his best going into October. That’s the challenge and we’ve got to figure it out together.”

Statistically, Ohtani’s 2026 campaign was his least productive since joining the Dodgers in 2023.

After hitting 54 home runs in 2024 and 55 in 2025, he managed just 30 home runs this season. His batting average also fell to .275, compared with .310 in 2024 and .282 in 2025.

The Dodgers will now look to find the right balance between protecting their superstar’s health and maximising his impact as they prepare for another postseason push.