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Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani celebrates — mimicking a melodramatic commercial he did for a luxury Japanese skincare company — as he rounds the bases after his two-run home run during Monday's game. (Nick Wass / Associated Press)
Even President Trump, it turns out, professes to be a Shohei Ohtani fan.
So universal is Ohtani’s celebrity that, during the Dodgers’ visit to the White House on Monday to celebrate their 2024 World Series championship, Trump dedicated a significant portion of the 20-minute ceremony to extolling the two-way star, making him the first Dodgers player whom the President singled out and approached to shake hands.
“He looks like a movie star,” Trump joked, before listing off the many accomplishments from Ohtani’s unprecedented 50/50 season and unanimous National League MVP award-winning performance last year.
“He said it was an honor to meet me, and I told him it was also an honor for me to meet him,” Ohtani later added in Japanese of the exchange, before joking that Trump was “taller than I thought.”
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“It’s really an honor,” Ohtani added of Monday’s event. “I’ve come from Japan like this to play here, and I appreciate this country every day. I think it was an honor to be able to meet the top person in this country.”
When asked if he hoped to return to the White House with the Dodgers as champions next year, Ohtani answered affirmatively.
“I think I’d like to go as many times as possible,” he said.
And so far this season, the slugger has been playing like it; starting 2025 almost exactly where he left off in 2024.
In his first 12 games, Ohtani is batting .311 with a 1.081 OPS (almost identical to his full-season stats last year), plus four home runs, five RBIs and two stolen bases. Among Dodgers hitters, only catcher Will Smith (who is batting .400 with a 1.117 OPS) has better early-season numbers.
Ohtani’s 2025 highlight reel is already adding up, from his sentimental home run during the team’s season-opening trip to Japan to his walk-off blast against the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium last week.
He’s even started a new hand-signal celebration for the team’s potent lineup — mimicking a melodramatic commercial he did for a luxury Japanese skincare company (one that his teammates light-heartedly razzed him about while watching it on loop during their trip to Japan) by dragging two fingers in front of his eyes while rounding the bases after his walk-off home run.
“I think it’s good for them to tease me and get excited,” Ohtani said when asked about the celebration Monday. “I think the atmosphere is good.”
Ohtani broke out the celebration repeatedly Monday night. After going just one-for-11 in a weekend series against the Philadelphia Phillies, he exploded for a three-for-four performance against the Washington Nationals in a 6-4 loss.
Ohtani had a first-inning infield single, a third-inning two-run home run and a fifth-inning triple that hit high off the center field wall. Twice, he had a chance to complete his second career cycle with a double. But, after striking out in the eighth, he settled for a walk in the ninth, trying to extend a Dodgers’ rally that ultimately fizzled for their third loss in the last four games.
“The at-bats Shohei took were pretty exceptional,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Even that last at-bat to earn a walk … and not try to chase a cycle, speaks to being a team player and passing the baton. He had an excellent night."
The only thing missing for Ohtani at the moment is his long-awaited return to pitching.
In another parallel to last year, the 30-year-old right-hander continues to slowly chip away at his recovery from a 2023 Tommy John surgery, throwing regular bullpen and long-toss sessions without a clear end date to his rehab in sight.
“I think the bullpens are going well,” said Ohtani, who is now more than 18 months removed from his second career Tommy John procedure and is expected to return to pitching at some point this season. “I think I’m in a really good place feel-wise.”
But when asked how close he is to throwing live batting practice sessions — a major hurdle in his recovery Ohtani got close to clearing last year before pausing his pitching program during the playoffs, then having his winter regimen delayed by an offseason surgery to his non-throwing shoulder — Ohtani wasn’t sure of an exact timeline.
“I’m still at the stage in which I have limits on the types of pitches I can throw and limits on speed,” he said. “I think that will be something I discuss with the doctor and the team staff. Personally, I think it’s something I’d like to do not too far out.”
Ohtani said such limitations come from Dodgers brass and head team physician, Neal ElAttrache, the renowned sports surgeon who has performed both of Ohtani’s two Tommy John operations.
For example, Ohtani has not yet been cleared to throw his sweeper. He only just reincorporated a few splitters into his most recent bullpen this past weekend. During that same session, his velocity continued to hover around the low-90s.
Read more:Dodgers celebrated at White House for 2024 World Series title by Trump
“[Dr. ElAttrache] said that since it’s my second operation, it’s better to be careful,” Ohtani said. “Personally, I think I’d like to go along with that.”
So, in the meantime, Ohtani continues to focus on the same hitting-only role he mastered last season; so much so, it prompted presidential recognition.
"Is he good?" Trump jokingly asked of Roberts at one point during Monday’s ceremony.
"He's only getting better,” Roberts responded with a laugh.
"He’s getting better?” Trump said. “That's scary for a lot of people, huh?”
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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