It began as a routine panel discussion on MLB Now, a conversation about managing superstar workloads. But once Shohei Ohtani’s name surfaced, the tone turned sharply serious. What’s the point of a $700 million investment if the Dodgers refuse to fully unleash it? That’s the question that ignited one of the show’s most intense debates yet.
The Red Sox legend and MLB Network analyst Kevin Millar wasn’t buying the cautious approach. While co-host Brian Kenny floated the idea of using Ohtani as an opener, pitching the first inning or so to “protect the golden goose offensively,” Millar pushed back hard.
“I like your idea, I’m so sick of protecting injuries,” Millar reacted, referencing how the Angels once stopped Mike Trout from stealing bases to avoid injury. “Yeah, but this guy’s pitching and hitting,” he emphasized, frustrated with the overly careful narrative. “Let’s see what he can do though, BK.”
Then, Kenny pointed out that Ohtani had already endured multiple elbow surgeries, “He’s missed three seasons already,” and suggested the Dodgers should “protect him from himself.” Millar didn’t budge there! “The $750 million [$700 million] deal that we gave him, we gave him because he’s a two-way player,” Millar pointed out bluntly. “We didn’t give him to DH and hit 57 home runs and drive a 110 for $700 million.”
Should Shohei Ohtani be used as an opener?
Kevin Millar opposes BK on the #MLBNowShowdown. pic.twitter.com/DkRFDHsV8L
— MLB Now (@MLBNow) June 25, 2025
Millar then made his case for letting Ohtani return to the mound in a manageable, but meaningful role. “If he’s healthy, and Shohei’s been wanting to pitch, he’s been on Dave Roberts’ call, let’s go. Let him open. He’s even got a couple of innings before,” Millar shared, clearly agitated by the hesitation.
Kenny agreed to a point, suggesting a compromise. “Kev, he starts, he knows the day he’s starting, and you pitch him one, one and two-thirds, and then on any given day, you can have him go six.”
With Ohtani already making short pitching appearances, tossing 18 pitches and striking out two Nationals in his latest outing, the tension now lies with how the Dodgers move forward. One thing’s certain: Kevin Millar doesn’t think spending $700 million just to play it safe makes any sense.
But what does the Dodgers skipper think?
Dave Roberts: Still in awe of the Dodgers unicorn
Every once in a while, baseball delivers a player who doesn’t just bend expectations, he breaks them entirely. That’s what Shohei Ohtani continues to do in a Dodger uniform, even as he tiptoes back into pitching form. While many stars ease their way into relevance after surgery, Ohtani is already grabbing headlines with his ability to dominate both at the plate and, now, once again, on the mound. And Dodgers manager Dave Roberts isn’t hiding his admiration. “I don’t think anybody knows what ‘fully prepared’ looks like,” Roberts admitted. “Because this isn’t your typical starting pitcher.”
What Ohtani is doing isn’t just rare, it’s unequaled. Coming off Tommy John surgery, most pitchers measure progress in careful bullpen sessions and pitch counts. But Ohtani? He’s already notched strikeouts in live games.
Against the Nationals, he needed just 18 pitches, 12 for strikes, to record two punchouts in a scoreless appearance. “Overall, I felt more relaxed compared to my last outing,” Ohtani shared postgame. “I was able to get back into games sooner than I expected.”
Shotime is not just recovering, he’s resetting the bar for what post-surgery recovery can look like. And the player who once called his two-way journey “an experiment” now talks like a man chasing perfection. “I still have things to work on,” Ohtani admitted. “But I feel like I can perform even better than I used to.”
The combination of self-awareness, along with skill and unbreakable determination, is what continues to impress Roberts and the entire league. Confidence is quietly swelling in Ohtani’s voice, and Roberts can see it. “He’s just different,” the skipper expressed.
After all, it’s not something you experience every day, taking care of a unicorn.
The post Dodgers Criticized for Wasting “Golden Goose” Shohei Ohtani’s $700M Potential by Red Sox Legend appeared first on EssentiallySports.
