Shohei Ohtani is expected to face the Angels on Tuesday for the first time since leaving the team he spent his first six seasons in the major leagues with to sign with the Dodgers for the largest contract in professional sports history.
After not playing in the first four spring training games -- including a Feb. 24 game against the Angels -- Ohtani made his unofficial Dodger debut Feb. 27 by going 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs in a 9-6 victory over the Chicago White Sox.
Ohtani has played twice more since then, going 1-for-1 with an RBI and two walks in a 6-4 victory over the Cleveland Guardians Friday and 3-for-3 with a triple and two RBIs in a 7-4 victory over the Colorado Rockies Sunday.
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Ohtani is hitting .714, with five hits in seven at-bats, one home run and five RBIs, a .778 on-base percentage, a 1.429 slugging percentage and a 2.207 on-base plus slugging percentage.
Ohtani has reached base on each of his last seven plate appearances with three singles, triple, home run and two walks.
Right-hander Chase Silseth will pitch for the Angels. He was 4-1 with a 3.96 ERA in eight starts and eight relief appearances as a rookie with the Angels in 2023.
Silseth pitched two shutout innings against Cleveland Thursday in his lone spring training appearance, allowing one hit, issuing one walk and striking out one. The Angeles won the game 4-1 and he was credited with the victory.
Right-hander Bobby Miller will pitch for the Dodgers. Miller was 11-4 with a 3.76 ERA in 22 starts as a rookie in 2023.
The Dodgers' 9-2 record matches the Baltimore Orioles for the best in baseball. The Angels are 7-3, the fourth-best record in baseball, and have won five straight.
The 5:05 p.m. Pacific Standard Time game from the Dodgers' Camelback Ranch spring training facility in Glendale, Arizona will be televised by SportsNet LA and Bally Sports West.
Ohtani is also expected to be the Dodgers' designated hitter in Wednesday's game against the White Sox, which would be the first time he has played back-to-back games as a Dodger, a sign he is continuing to make progress after undergoing surgery Sept. 19 to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow that will keep him from pitching this season.
Ohtani has expressed optimism that he will be able to play in the Dodgers' opener March 20 against the San Diego Padres in Seoul, South Korea.
