The Shohei Ohtani rule is a new MLB regulation that permits pitchers to continue hitting even after they've been removed from pitching duties. This change allows for more strategic lineup construction and gives teams the flexibility to keep their best two-way players in the game longer.

Baseball hasn't encountered a player in the mold of Shohei Ohtani, especially not in the contemporary era of the sport.

While injuries have hampered him during certain seasons, Ohtani has proven to be both a formidable power hitter and an elite, hard-throwing pitcher capable of dominating any lineup when healthy. Doubts existed upon his MLB arrival in 2018 regarding his potential to excel as a dual-threat player. He has, however, silenced all his critics.

The league had to make more provisions for players excelling at multiple positions, given Shohei Ohtani's emergence as a rising star, arguably the most gifted player in MLB history. Actually, a more recent regulation concerning the employment of two-way athletes has been established, known as the "Shohei Ohtani rule,", as it generally pertains only to the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar.

Here's what to know about the "Shohei Ohtani rule" that enables him to bat on days he's also pitching.

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The Shohei Ohtani rule allows a pitcher who is also a designated hitter to continue as the DH even after being removed from the pitching position.

In 2022, MLB implemented a regulation that has since been called the "Shohei Ohtani rule". While the league didn't specifically devise it for him, his standing as baseball's sole two-way player ensured it would exclusively pertain to him. To the individual.

The core principle involves a versatile player's capacity to maintain offensive effectiveness throughout a game, even after ceasing to pitch. It was introduced around the same time that MLB was transitioning to full-time designated hitters for both leagues, abandoning pitchers automatically being in the lineup.

Previously, if an American League starting pitcher was also included in the starting lineup, the team's designated hitter position was automatically relinquished. When the pitcher was removed from the game, the relief pitcher or a pinch hitter took his place in the batting lineup. 

Under the 2022 MLB rule, which also applies to the postseason, a pitcher is allowed to remain in the game as a designated hitter even when they are removed as the starting pitcher. The sole significant difference: it exclusively pertains to the initial pitcher, excluding relief pitchers.

As MLB's only current two-way player, Ohtani could begin a game pitching, serve as his team's designated hitter, and then keep batting after being removed from the mound. Although Ohtani hasn't previously pitched from the bullpen, using him in that role would prevent the Dodgers from employing his bat in their batting order, as he wouldn't be permitted to join the game as a reliever while the team retains its designated hitter position. If Ohtani were to remain in the lineup under those circumstances, he'd need to play a position in the field.

There are also technicalities under the "Shohei Ohtani rule" that would allow him (or any two-way player) to start a game as a pitcher, be removed for a reliever while remaining the designated hitter, then return later in the game as a reliever, forfeiting the team’s DH spot.

Ohtani rule clarified

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. A Club is not required to name a designated hitter for the pitcher. Should the starting pitcher decide to bat for himself, he'll be treated as two distinct individuals according to Rule 5.11(a). In these situations, the manager must include 10 players on their team's lineup card, with this particular player listed twice: once as the starting pitcher and again as the Designated Hitter. If the starting pitcher is substituted, he may continue playing as the Designated Hitter, though he won't be able to pitch further in the game. Conversely, if the Designated Hitter is substituted, he can remain in the game as the pitcher but will no longer be able to bat. For himself). Should a player be substituted as both the starting pitcher and Designated Hitter at the same time, another two-way player cannot then be brought in to fill those two roles individually; this substitution of dual roles can only occur once at the outset. Lineup card by noting that the starting pitcher will be batting for himself).

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MLB introduced the Shohei Ohtani rule to accommodate players who excel as both pitchers and hitters.

MLB was already undergoing some massive rule changes in 2022 — expanded rosters, the universal designated hitter, "ghost runners" in extra innings, etc. By then, Ohtani had established himself as a premier two-way player. But the Los Angeles Angels had been disadvantaged, in some ways, on days when Ohtani pitched.

Under the previous rules, the DH position was the only spot in the batting order in which substitutions and double-switches were not permitted. Before the rule change, when Ohtani pitched for The Angels, he'd generally serve as the team's DH until his pitching duties ended, after which he'd move to the outfield to remain in the game. In doing so, the Angels would forfeit their designated hitter position because the incoming pitcher was required to bat.

Teams like the Angels, or any club with a player like Ohtani who could both pitch and hit, were at a disadvantage in maximizing their abilities, leading to the introduction of this new rule. Previously, MLB didn't have to contemplate such a change because no two-way players existed in the modern era, and the implementation of the universal DH made the timing of the rule adjustment suitable.

The shift could allow Ohtani to fully utilize his skills as both a star hitter and pitcher, potentially paving the way for more two-way athletes down the line.

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Ohtani hits when pitching?

Indeed, Shohei Ohtani does hit on days when he is also scheduled to pitch. He has the designation of a two-way player on the Dodgers' roster, meaning he is able to remain a designated hitter for an entire game, even when he is pulled as a pitcher.

When he was healing from elbow surgery, Ohtani was a designated hitter 100 percent of the time, unable to get back on the mound. But once he was healthy enough to pitch for the Dodgers in the 2025 season, Los Angeles could capitalize on the "Shohei Ohtani rule" by having his bat and his arm on days he was the scheduled starter.

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Shohei Ohtani's role?

As a two-way athlete, Shohei Ohtani functions in multiple roles: he's both a starting pitcher and a designated hitter. He has historically always been a starter, never pitching in relief in his MLB career. He's also been used extensively as a designated hitter, a role that lets him rest and concentrate solely on his hitting when he's not on the mound.

While with The Angels, Ohtani did see some time in the outfield, largely because the "Shohei Ohtani rule" hadn't been established yet. Ohtani hasn't played in the outfield since the rule change in 2022. 

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