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 has never seen a player quite like Shohei Ohtani. Not in the modern era of the game, at the very least.

Injuries have held him back in some seasons, but when he's been healthy, Ohtani's simultaneously been one of the most feared sluggers in the league, and a flame-throwing pitcher who can shut down an entire lineup. When he came to MLB in 2018, there were doubts about whether he could dominate as a two-way star. But he's proved all doubters wrong.

Ohtani's presence as a budding superstar, arguably the most talented player MLB has ever had, required the league to accommodate more for two-way talents. In fact, there's a newer rule regarding two-way players' utilization that has been deemed the "Shohei Ohtani rule," as it typically only applies to the Los Angeles Dodgers megastar.

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

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Ohtani rule explained

In 2022, MLB introduced a rule that has since been referred to as the "Shohei Ohtani rule" — the league didn't actually create it just for him, but his status as baseball's only two-way player meant it would only apply to him.

The rule is centered around a two-way player's ability to hit through an entire game, even when they are removed as the pitcher. 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.

In the past, when a starting pitcher in the American League was also in the starting lineup, that meant the team's designated hitter spot was automatically forfeited. So, when the pitcher left the game, his spot in the batting order was vacated for the relief pitcher (or a pinch hitter). 

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 one key distinction: it only applies to the starting pitcher, not relievers.

Ohtani is MLB's lone two-way player (for now), so the rule meant he was able to start a game on the mound, be his team's designated hitter, then continue hitting once he was pulled as the pitcher. Ohtani has never pitched in relief, but in that case, his bat could not be utilized in the Dodgers' lineup — he would not be allowed to enter the game as a reliever with the team holding onto its DH spot. To stay in the lineup in that scenario, Ohtani would have to move into 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 explained

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). 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 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 while 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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Ohtani's player 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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