Bad news for fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers — righty pitcher Michael Grove is officially done for the year. The 28-year-old native of West Virginia recently underwent surgery on his throwing shoulder and will miss the entire 2025 season. This comes after he was pulled from Game 2 of last year’s NLDS with shoulder troubles.
Earlier Warning Signs
Manager Dave Roberts told reporters a few weeks ago that Grove would likely start the season on the injured list. The righty had lost about a month of his normal winter prep work while recovering from that postseason shoulder problem.
Whether Grove tried pushing through more pain or if doctors discovered something new during testing isn’t clear. However, the outcome is the same — the 28-year-old won’t be back on the mound until 2026.
Grove’s History of Medical Setbacks
This isn’t Grove’s first major setback. He already went through UCL surgery back in 2017 during his college days at West Virginia. Despite this, the Dodgers saw enough potential to grab him in the second round of the 2018 draft.
Between recovery, the canceled 2020 minor league season, and some early developmental struggles, Grove didn’t hit his stride until 2022.
That same year marked his MLB debut, where he posted a 4.60 ERA across 29 1/3 innings, starting six of his seven appearances. In 2023, the Dodgers used him as a swingman, starting 12 of 18 games while shuttling him between Triple-A and the majors whenever they needed pitching help. Last season followed a similar pattern, though Grove worked primarily out of the bullpen, finishing with a 5.12 ERA over 51 innings.
Ohtani’s Remarkable Impact Despite Injuries
There’s no questioning Shohei Ohtani‘s among the game’s top pitchers when he’s healthy enough to take the ball. But injuries have limited the two-way superstar to just 86 starts across seven MLB seasons. He hasn’t pitched in a big league game since August 2023.
Of course, that didn’t stop him from dominating baseball and cementing his legacy in the MLB record book — he still captured his third MVP award in 2024 without throwing a single pitch. Still, fans are overwhelmingly eager to see him back on the mound in 2025.
Unfortunately, they might need to wait longer than expected. Ohtani isn’t just recovering from UCL surgery performed in September 2023, but also from surgery on his non-throwing shoulder this past November.
Back in February, Roberts suggested Ohtani could face live batters ahead of the Tokyo Series and potentially return to the rotation sometime in May — maybe even sooner. As recently as two weeks ago, that timeline seemed to be on track.
Recent Slowdown in Ohtani’s Pitching Progression
But Roberts changed his tune this past Thursday. According to the skipper, the team is taking extra precautions. His last bullpen session happened on February 25, just three days before his first spring training appearance as a hitter.
“We just felt that to intensify the bullpens, alongside of the intensity of the games, wasn’t smart,” Roberts explained. “So we just wanted to kind of slow-play it.”
When asked if Ohtani could still return to the rotation in May, Roberts wouldn’t commit: “We just don’t know.”
Nevertheless, Ohtani’s delay in returning to the bump won’t affect his ability to contribute as the club’s everyday designated hitter.