Dodgers’ Season Spirals Into Crisis Mode as Shohei Ohtani’s Role and Future Now Hang in Uncertainty Amid Turmoil
The 2025 season was supposed to be the year of dominance for the Los Angeles Dodgers. After a blockbuster offseason that saw the team secure the services of global superstar Shohei Ohtani, expectations were sky-high. The front office had invested heavily in the idea that Ohtani would be the missing piece—a generational talent who could elevate an already talented roster and bring a World Series title back to Los Angeles. But just months into the campaign, the narrative has shifted from one of promise and power to one of crisis and confusion. Now, with Ohtani’s role in question and the team reeling from injuries, inconsistency, and front-office disarray, the Dodgers’ blueprint for success appears more uncertain than ever.
When Ohtani signed his historic 10-year, $700 million deal with the Dodgers, it was a seismic moment not just for the franchise but for Major League Baseball. The two-way phenom was expected to change the game in Los Angeles—offensively, culturally, and financially. Even with the understanding that he would not pitch during the 2024 season due to elbow surgery, the Dodgers believed his bat alone would significantly boost their offense. The expectation was that 2025 would mark the full return of Ohtani the pitcher, and with that, the Dodgers would unveil a modern-day Babe Ruth—capable of dominating from both the mound and the plate.
But reality has not matched expectation.
Despite strong personal offensive stats from Ohtani early in the season, his return to the mound has been delayed repeatedly. What began as a cautious, methodical recovery has devolved into an opaque situation with vague updates, inconsistent timelines, and now, swirling rumors that Ohtani may not pitch at all this season—or potentially ever again at his former level. That uncertainty has placed the Dodgers in a precarious position. They didn’t just sign a designated hitter; they structured a decade of competitive plans around a unique two-way unicorn.
With Ohtani’s pitching future now in doubt, the strategic balance of the Dodgers’ roster is under stress. They made offseason decisions assuming his return would allow them to go lighter on pitching acquisitions. But now, that very strategy has backfired. The Dodgers’ pitching rotation has been decimated by injuries and underperformance. Tyler Glasnow, the ace brought in alongside Ohtani, has spent more time on the IL than on the mound. Walker Buehler’s comeback has been shaky, and the once-deep bullpen has looked exhausted and ineffective in key moments.
Meanwhile, Ohtani continues to provide elite offensive production, but even that comes with complications. As a full-time DH, he limits lineup flexibility. The Dodgers have tried shuffling around players like Will Smith, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman to maximize offensive output, but it’s been a juggling act with diminishing returns. While Ohtani’s bat remains one of the most dangerous in the league, the absence of his pitching has exposed how fragile the rest of the roster truly is when stretched.
Manager Dave Roberts has found himself in the unenviable position of trying to motivate a clubhouse that is not only battling injuries and fatigue but also carrying the weight of heightened expectations. Reports have surfaced of tension behind the scenes, with veterans frustrated by inconsistent lineups and younger players unsure of their roles. The chemistry that defined past successful Dodgers squads appears to be missing. Even the fan base, usually patient and loyal, is beginning to express concern—something rare in recent years for a team that has been a perennial playoff contender.
Perhaps most alarming is the sense of organizational disarray at the top. The Dodgers, long considered one of the smartest and most stable front offices in the sport, suddenly look reactionary and ill-prepared. The Ohtani situation has been marked by a lack of transparency. Every week brings a different update—sometimes from the team, sometimes from Ohtani’s own camp—and the mixed messaging has only fueled speculation. Is Ohtani struggling to recover behind the scenes? Has there been a change in how the Dodgers view his long-term pitching future? Is there conflict between the player and the team about how aggressively to push the timeline?
These are questions that no one at the club seems willing to answer directly, and the vacuum of clarity has allowed media speculation and fan frustration to flourish.
Further complicating matters is the legal and public relations fallout still lingering from the Ippei Mizuhara gambling scandal. Although Ohtani was cleared of wrongdoing, the entire episode left a stain on the pristine image the Dodgers hoped to cultivate around their superstar. It also raised questions about the team’s due diligence during the signing process. While no direct link has been established between the scandal and current on-field issues, the residual distraction cannot be ignored.
The Dodgers are now at a crossroads. With the trade deadline approaching, the front office faces pressure to make bold moves—particularly to shore up the rotation. But any deal they make must be weighed against the uncertainty surrounding Ohtani. If he isn’t going to pitch again this year, or possibly ever, how much future capital are they willing to trade to patch a fundamentally flawed pitching staff? And if the plan was to build around a two-way Ohtani, can they justify the enormous payroll now that only half of that promise may be fulfilled?
There’s also the matter of public expectation. Dodgers fans didn’t just expect a playoff berth; they expected domination. Anything short of a deep October run will be seen as a failure, particularly given the financial investments made and the star-studded nature of the roster. Yet, as things stand, Los Angeles is clinging to its playoff position by a thread. Teams like the Padres and Diamondbacks are closing the gap in the division, and the National League is as competitive as it’s been in years.
Ohtani himself has remained relatively silent throughout the ordeal, maintaining his usual stoic demeanor with the media. But sources close to the situation suggest that he is deeply frustrated—not only with his slow recovery but also with the pressure that comes with being seen as the savior of a franchise. While he has embraced the Los Angeles market and is said to be committed to the team’s long-term goals, there is concern within the organization that his confidence in his pitching future may be wavering.
If Ohtani does indeed pivot toward becoming a full-time hitter, it will mark a seismic shift—not just for the Dodgers, but for baseball itself. The sport has been celebrating his unique two-way abilities as a once-in-a-century phenomenon. If that era ends prematurely, the ripple effects will be massive, altering how teams build rosters, how contracts are structured, and how stars are marketed.
In the short term, the Dodgers need answers. They need clarity on Ohtani’s pitching timeline. They need reinforcements in the rotation. They need stability in the clubhouse. And they need wins—lots of them—if they hope to salvage what was supposed to be a historic season.
Because right now, Los Angeles isn’t a superteam. It’s a super-expensive, super-confused, and increasingly super-vulnerable franchise teetering on the edge of disappointment.
There is still time to right the ship. The offense remains potent, and if even one or two arms in the rotation can get healthy and regain form, a late-season surge isn’t out of the question. But the window is closing. And for a team that thought it had the next decade figured out, that’s a frightening place to be.
The Ohtani era in Los Angeles began with fireworks, fanfare, and global attention. But as the 2025 season unfolds, it has become clear that the plan has unraveled faster than anyone imagined. Whether the Dodgers can retool and re-center around a new vision—or whether this moment marks the beginning of a long and painful recalibration—remains to be seen. One thing is certain: the road ahead will define the legacy not just of Shohei Ohtani, but of an entire franchise.
