Shohei Ohtani is a unicorn. By now, that is clear.
Not only is the Los Angeles Dodgers' superstar one of the best all-around hitters in the game, a consistent power threat with his sweet lefty swing, but he's also one of the most electric pitchers in baseball when he's healthy. Injuries have prevented Ohtani from heading to the mound in the past, but in 2025, he's set to make his postseason pitching debut.
MLB hadn't seen a player quite even remotely similar to Ohtani in the modern era, until it did. His presence created a need for specific rules regarding two-way players and how they can be utilized. How do the two-way rules apply to Ohtani, and will any of those rules change in the postseason?
Here's what to know about whether Ohtani hits on days he also pitchers and MLB's "Shohei Ohtani rule."
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Does Shohei Ohtani hit when he pitches?
Yes, when Shohei Ohtani pitches in MLB games, he is also the Dodgers' designated hitter. There are some unique MLB rules that only apply to Ohtani for the time being, as he's the only true two-way player in the league.
However, it's important to note that in order for Ohtani to remain the designated hitter throughout a full game in which he also pitches, he must be the starting pitcher, not a reliever.
Ohtani started his career with the Los Angeles Angels, where he was able to pitch and hit despite MLB not yet having modernized rules for two-way players.
The postseason does not change anything with Ohtani pitching and hitting, as long as he's healthy and able. Because he is designated as a two-way player, he also allows the Dodgers to carry an "extra" pitcher on their postseason roster; Ohtani does not technically count as one of pitchers on the postseason roster.
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What is the Shohei Ohtani rule?
In 2022, MLB introduced a rule that many refer to as the "Shohei Ohtani rule" because it virtually only applies to him. That was around the time that the league was transitioning to full-time designated hitters for both leagues, abandoning pitchers automatically being in the lineup.
In the past, if the starting pitcher in the AL was also in the lineup, the DH was forfeited, meaning his spot in the order was occupied by the relief pitcher when he left the game.
The "Shohei Ohtani rule" allows Ohtani to remain in a game as a designated hitter once he is removed as a pitcher. However, the key distinction is that Ohtani (or any pitcher) must start the game, not as a reliever.
So, when Ohtani is pulled from a start, he's able to keep hitting in the DH spot.
While Ohtani has expressed interest in being a reliever if the Dodgers need him to do so, that would become complicated. In that case, his bat could not be deployed in L.A.'s lineup; the rules do not allow for Ohtani to enter the game as a reliever and the Dodgers to keep the designated hitter spot in the lineup. Ohtani would have to move to the field to stay in the lineup.
Technically, under the rule, Ohtani could also start the game as a pitcher, be removed for a reliever while remaining the designated hitter, and then return later in the game as a reliever, forfeiting the team’s designated hitter.
The "Shohei Ohtani" rule does not change in the postseason, with the same regulations for how two-way players can be utilized.
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Shohei Ohtani rule definition
Here is MLB's official "Shohei Ohtani rule," otherwise known as rule 5.11(b), according to Baseball Rules Academy:
“Starting Pitcher as Designated Hitter. It is not mandatory that a Club designate a hitter for the pitcher. However, in the event the starting pitcher will bat for himself, the player will be considered two separate people for purposes of Rule 5.11(a). In such cases, the manager should list 10 players on his team’s lineup card, and this player should be named twice – once as the starting pitcher and once as the Designated Hitter. Thus, if the starting pitcher is replaced, he can continue as the Designated Hitter (but can no longer pitch in the game), and if the Designated Hitter is replaced, he can continue as the pitcher (but can no longer hit for himself). If the player is simultaneously replaced both as a starting pitcher and Designated Hitter, he cannot be replaced by another two‑way player filling both roles as separate people (this can be done only once on the initial lineup card by identifying that the starting pitcher will bat for himself).”
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Why did MLB create the Shohei Ohtani rule?
In 2022, MLB was adopting a series of rule changes, including expanded rosters, "ghost runners" for extra-innings and the universal designated hitter. With Ohtani already being an established star by then, the league made an adjustment to the DH rules, specifically as they relate to pitchers.
Under previous rules, the DH position was the one spot in the batting order in which substitutions and double-switches were not permitted. When Ohtani was pitching with the Angels prior to the rule change, he would be the DH until he was pulled as the pitcher, then the team would have to move him to the outfield to keep his bat in the lineup, abandoning their DH spot in the process as the new pitcher had to hit.
Because of the Angels' (and soon-to-be Dodgers') rules disadvantage, having the only true two-way talent in the league in Ohtani, the change seemed fairly easy to adopt. The issue before was that the "Ohtani rule" wasn't something MLB even had to consider, without any real two-way players in the modern era.
But after the rule change, Ohtani was finally able to pitch, then remain a key piece in the lineup for the remainder of the game as long as he was the starting pitcher. The rule change also encouraged more two-way players, with teams no longer having to worry about their relievers or pinch-hitters having to occupy the DH spot when their two-way talent finished pitching.
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What position does Shohei Ohtani play when not pitching?
Ohtani can be deployed in a variety of ways due to his skillset and the newer rules. Primarily, the Dodgers simply utilize the "Ohtani rule," where he starts on the mound then remains a designated hitter the rest of the game. When Ohtani wasn't able to pitch due to injury, he was just a DH.
Ohtani has never been used as a reliever in an MLB game, so there's never been a scenario where the Dodgers risked losing their DH spot. However, Ohtani did formerly play in the outfield when he was with the Angels, as well as during his time in Japan.
Shohei Ohtani was a different breed playing the outfield in Japan 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/uur6fQSrgS
— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) April 22, 2025
Especially when the Angels were without the "Ohtani rule" pre-2022, he wound up in the outfield, usually right field, when designated hitter wasn't an option. Ohtani has not appeared in the outfield since 2021.
Almost all of the time, Ohtani is used as a DH whether he's also the starting pitcher or not. Rarely in his career has he had to head to the outfield, with all of those innings coming before the 2022 rule change.
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History behind Shohei Ohtani rule
Prior to 2022, if a starting pitcher (including Ohtani) was removed from the game, they could not continue to hit as the DH. Teams would have to move the player to another position to keep their bat in the lineup.
The DH spot had been around since 1973 in the American League before it was added to the National League in 2022. Usually, there was no concern for pitchers not being able to hit all the time in the AL, because there were no true two-way talents. Ohtani changed that, defying the game's history of specialization.
In 2020, MLB officially created a rule to recognize two-way players, and in 2022, the "Shohei Ohtani rule" made it completely possible for a player to pitch and remain a hitter throughout a full game, without any extra moves or switches needed.
Still, Ohtani remains the only two-way player in MLB, so the rule only typically applies to him. But more than ever in modern baseball history, the door is open for more two-way talents in the future.
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