Ohtani takes work out on field for first time as Dodger

GLENDALE, ARIZ. >> Both Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman have remarked that Shohei Ohtani has impressed them with the “intentional” approach he takes to all of his workouts.

“When I hit outside, it’s more to check the strength and how strong I’m feeling,” Ohtani said through his interpreter of one aspect of that. “Inside, it’s more technical stuff.”

In that case, Monday’s outdoor session checked the right boxes.

Ohtani has been hitting in the batting cages for a week now but he took batting practice on the field for the first time since his oblique injury ended his 2023 season with the Angels on Sept. 4 (just about two weeks before he had reconstructive surgery on his right elbow).

He took 21 swings in two rounds off of game planning coach J.T. Watkins. Ten of them cleared the fences — several by a wide margin. A tablet set up in the batting cage to track Ohtani’s results showed exit velocity as high as 109 mph.

“I felt really good overall. Every swing got really strong with some good results,” Ohtani said.

“It was my first time hitting outside since I got the oblique injury so I was being a little careful. Overall I felt really good.”

Dodgers hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc said it has been impressive to see Ohtani’s “raw athleticism and speed and talent ... up close.”

“He’s explosive, has leverage, speed, strength, the whole thing,” Van Scoyoc said.

After taking his swings on the field Monday, Ohtani checked for feedback on video coordinator Pedro Montero’s phone. It’s part of an analytical approach Ohtani takes to assessing his swing, Van Scoyoc said.

“He really cares about his process being measured, so he measures everything he does,” Van Scoyoc said. “He’s very calculated and meticulous. So yeah, (we’re) just making sure he has all the things he needs.

“He keeps it objective. So he knows if he’s moving well, if the speeds (of his rotation and bat) are good, the ball is coming off. … (He) takes how he’s feeling out of it.”

Ohtani was certainly feeling good about his swing on Monday.

“I was planning ... to swing on the lighter side,” Ohtani said. “But I felt like the swings were feeling really good, which is a really good sign. I think it’s trending towards me being ready for Opening Day.”

Van Scoyoc has been working with Ohtani for the past month as he continued rehabbing from last fall’s elbow surgery and started the early stages of his hitting program at Dodger Stadium. Since arriving in Arizona last week, Ohtani has continued to progress.

“I think he’s right on schedule from everything I can tell. He hasn’t had any setbacks or anything,” Van Scoyoc said.

“We gotta see how everything responds once it’s more under pressure in games and (game) speed and all that. But up to this point in BP and everything, he’s doing good.”

Mookie arrives

Mookie Betts was among the position players in camp on Monday. The first full-squad workout is scheduled for Wednesday.

Betts was asked about the Dodgers’ big moves during the offseason and the high expectations that have come with them.

“You have to go play, man,” he said. “We’ve had some really good teams here and some guys in their prime here and we haven’t done it. No matter what team we roll out there, we have to go play. I have to show up. I went 0 for 11 (in the NL Division Series sweep by the Arizona Diamondbacks last fall) and we had a really good team last year. So if I don’t show up, it doesn’t matter. Not just me, but all of us. If we don’t show up, we’re going to lose. So we have to go play.”

Also

Right-hander Joe Kelly and catcher Will Smith were back in camp after being absent for personal reasons over the weekend.