Shohei Ohtani rehabbing from shoulder surgery, aims to be ready for Opening Day

Shohei Ohtani is in the early stages of rehabbing from arthroscopic surgery to repair a labrum tear in his left shoulder following the Los Angeles Dodgers' World Series championship over the New York Yankees last month.

"We've already removed the stitches," the Japanese star said Thursday in Los Angeles after winning his third Most Valuable Player award, his first with the Dodgers. "The current goal is to bring back my range of motion. Today we started working on core and we're slowly ramping up right now."

[Related: Shohei Ohtani wins NL MVP by unanimous vote ]

Ohtani had the surgery on Nov. 5, four days after he and the team paraded through downtown Los Angeles and celebrated with fans at Dodger Stadium.

"We've been stuck in rehab every day and I've been sitting on my bed relaxing," he said through a translator. "We haven't been able to take some time to celebrate as a family."

Ohtani didn't pitch this season while rehabbing from elbow surgery in September 2023. He injured his shoulder attempting to steal second base during Game 2 of the World Series.

"The goal is to be ready for opening day that includes hitting and pitching, but we are kind of taking our time," he said. "Obviously want to make sure I'm healthy first. We're not going to rush anything. We're going to take a little bit more time and be conservative."

Ohtani's most anxious moment during his stellar first regular season with the Dodgers didn't involve his performance.

It was about his beloved dog, Decoy.

"The most nerve-wracking game, the most nervous I was when we had Decoy throw out the pitch," he said.

Much like his owner, Decoy performed flawlessly on that August night, trotting from the mound to deliver the ball in his mouth to a waiting