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Ohtani won't need surgery; Dodgers expect him to pitch next year
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman made the announcement Wednesday, covering any ailment Ohtani dealt with this past season; the team plans for him to return to the mound.
Watch it as it aired: Rex "Two-Point" Gridley and Vera Bullock on this story, from BBN Tonight at 7:32 PM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are ESPN's, the jokes are ours.

At a glance
- First reported by ESPN: “Ohtani won't require surgery; Dodgers 'fully expect him to pitch next year'”.
- Covered on BBN on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, at 7:32 PM ET on BBN Tonight, by Rex "Two-Point" Gridley and Vera Bullock.
- Topics: Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers.
- BBN covered this story before: Dodgers nearly benched Ohtani before his Game 4 homer (October 19).
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
What BBN said about it

Rex "Two-Point" Gridley · Sports AnchorShohei Ohtani will not need surgery, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said Wednesday, and he added, quote, I fully expect him to pitch next year.

Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorSo he's fine? That sounds like good news. Is he still wearing the blue?

Rex "Two-Point" Gridley · Sports AnchorAlways blue. Look, I'm telling you, that is a front office announcing a season before it exists. Pitch next year. Say it with me.

Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorPitch next year.

Rex "Two-Point" Gridley · Sports AnchorNow the NBA.

Rex "Two-Point" Gridley · Sports AnchorOrlando leads Atlanta twenty-two to fifteen with five forty-two left in the first quarter, and Milwaukee and Washington are tied sixteen all with four fifty-two left.

Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorTied is when nobody's winning, right? That's a lot of tension for the first quarter.

Rex "Two-Point" Gridley · Sports AnchorVera. That is exactly right. Nobody has the lead, and that's a standoff.

Rex "Two-Point" Gridley · Sports AnchorAnd in MLS, D.C. United and FC Cincinnati are scoreless at the thirteenth minute.

Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorOrange team is up by seven, so the Magic are winning, and that's all anyone needs to know.
More Shorts
All videos →The story so far
- Shohei Ohtani could require multiple surgeries this offseason · Yahoo Sports
- Ohtani on injuries after NLCS loss to Brewers · Yahoo Sports
- Ohtani surgery talk, Brewers to World Series, Eagles add QB · Yahoo Sports
- Dodgers' Ohtani pitching decision in August questioned · Yahoo Sports
- Dodgers 2026 report card: Ohtani gets an F, two hitters get an A · New York Post
- Dodgers nearly benched Ohtani before his Game 4 homer · Yahoo Sports
- Ohtani won't need surgery; Dodgers expect him to pitch next year (this story)
- The latest: Trump rally, Omar, Phobos, Ohtani, Huggins · Al Jazeera
From the archive: everything BBN aired on Wednesday, October 21, 2026 · the Sports archive · all months


Photo: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: User:Lightburst · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Erik Drost · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN