Shohei Ohtani's first start of the second half of the season is confirmed for Tuesday at home against the Minnesota Twins.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has confirmed that Shohei Ohtani will make his start at Dodger Stadium against the Twins on Tuesday at 7:10 AM Beijing time.

Originally, it was expected that Ohtani would make his pitching debut for the Dodgers after the All-Star Game, but he unexpectedly completed five starts in the first half of the season (gradually increasing his workload in a multi-inning starter role), allowing only five hits and one run over nine innings, with ten strikeouts and just two walks. He also leads the National League with 32 home runs and a .987 OPS at the plate.

Ohtani's final game before the break saw him pitch three full innings, and Roberts stated that the goal for Tuesday remains a three-inning outing. If all goes well, his next appearance could be extended to four innings. Following this trajectory, Ohtani is expected to take on a regular starting rotation workload by mid-August.

Dustin May will take the mound in this game in place of Ohtani, but Roberts emphasized that this is a one-time arrangement: "May will not be the fixed replacement going forward. We will adjust based on Ohtani's recovery process." This arrangement also helps manage May's workload—he has already pitched 94.1 innings this season (with an ERA of 4.96), significantly exceeding his career-high of 56 innings in a single season in 2020.