Shohei Ohtani keeps stacking milestones, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts thinks the next one could be a monster.
After Ohtani launched a 409-foot leadoff homer in last Tuesday’s loss to the Colorado Rockies, Roberts didn’t hold back when talking about what he’s seeing from the two-way star. The blast, which came in the first inning, was Ohtani’s 300th career home run and a reminder that he’s still operating at a level most players never touch.
“It was quite the homer,” Roberts told reporters after the game. “I mean, it was [112 mph] off the bat, low launch angle.
It was squared up, got out in a hurry. And 300 - he got there pretty quickly for us.
I just marvel at him every day.”
That homer made Ohtani the fifth-fastest player in MLB history to reach 300 home runs, and he did it just two days after turning 32. He’s already built a résumé that includes four MVP awards, a career ERA of 2.83, four Silver Slugger nods and a top five Cy Young finish in 2022, and Roberts believes the next milestone is within reach.
“I mean, he just had a birthday,” Roberts said. “Still young, still strong. So I definitely think 500 [home runs] is in his future.”
Only 28 players have reached 500 home runs in MLB history, with Miguel Cabrera the most recent to get there in August 2021 at age 38.
Ohtani’s power has been especially loud in a Dodgers uniform. Of his 300 career homers, 129 have come during his two-and-a-half seasons with the club. In that span, he’s also won two MVP awards and is on pace for a third straight.
He heads into the break with the bat still hot after adding two more home runs in the weekend series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. But there’s also a health concern hanging over him, with knee inflammation lingering for the last month.
That issue forced the Dodgers to scratch Ohtani from his scheduled pitching start this past Friday, and he will not join the NL All-Star team in Philadelphia this week. It’s still unclear when he’ll be back on the mound after the break.
“I think that No. 1, he’s always said, we’ve always said, the goal is October, for all of our players,” manager Dave Roberts said. “With that, yeah, he’s had the Cy Young in mind, and understandably so. But nothing is going to come in front of being healthy for October.
"And so for him to concede and miss a start in the best interest of him and the team, that’s not a surprise. Those are two separate things, but No. 1 is being ready for October, and he’s always said that.”
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