GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Shohei Ohtani's sweeper made its first appearance of the year during the Los Angeles Dodgers' first official workout of spring training Wednesday.

It was off flat ground, at nowhere close to full intensity, but it stood as the latest sign that Ohtani's return to pitching -- and, thus, a two-way role -- is approaching.

Ohtani will throw his first traditional bullpen session at some point this weekend, he said, at which point he will begin the process of preparing to join the Dodgers' star-studded rotation by May, if not sooner.

Asked how he'll juggle hitting and pitching again, Ohtani said he wanted to "play as much as possible, as many games as possible."

"But if the team feels like I should get a break," Ohtani added through an interpreter, "I'll follow that."

The Los Angeles Angels essentially let Ohtani dictate his schedule while hitting and pitching from 2021 to 2023, paving the way for an unprecedented three-year stretch consisting of two unanimous MVP awards and a runner-up finish. The Dodgers might ultimately give Ohtani similar leeway, most notably by allowing him to hit on the days when he pitches. But they are being noticeably cautious on the front end in hopes of making sure he's as fresh as possible down the stretch.

Ohtani wasn't expected to pitch in any Cactus League games, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, adding that he also doesn't want to see him attempting stolen bases during spring training. Given his importance to the lineup, the Dodgers probably will stage simulated games in April that will allow Ohtani to face hitters in game-like environments without having to send him out on a rehab assignment. Once he joins the rotation, Ohtani will be among six starters, which will basically have him starting once a week.

Roberts also anticipated Ohtani taking more days off as a designated hitter this year, and the widely held belief is that he would take a step back from running after his 59-steal season in 2024 -- but that was still to be determined.

"We haven't gotten there yet as far as what he's comfortable with, what he feels good about," Roberts said. "I'm looking forward to those conversations, but it's obviously going to be a little more complex than it was last year."

At the moment, Ohtani has his mind set on being the Dodgers' DH when they open their season in his native Japan for a two-game series against the Chicago Cubs on March 18 and 19. Ohtani said his surgically repaired left shoulder, which sustained a torn labrum during the World Series, has been giving him "some discomfort" but that it is "not really debilitating."

"Just a limited range of motion," Ohtani added. "I've gone through it with the elbow before, and with the shoulder it's a little bit more complicated. I do believe that's the part that I have to be patient."

As a group, the Dodgers don't have much time for patience. They'll open their season nine days before 28 other teams and are already working to get their pitchers ready for it. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, one of Japan's most celebrated starters, is on track to begin the season opener at the Tokyo Dome. Roki Sasaki, yet another celebrated Japanese ace, is on track to start the second game, though the Dodgers first want to see how the 23-year-old right-hander assimilates to his first experience in the United States.

"Having this opportunity to open the season in Japan with a major league team is really special," said Sasaki, the highly touted pitching phenom who chose to join the Dodgers last month. "I just want to make sure that I'm prepared to be ready for that."

Sasaki was among the pitchers who threw bullpen sessions in the backfields of Camelback Ranch on Wednesday. Dozens of photographers, camera operators and reporters lined one side of the field; a slew of Dodgers coaches and executives -- and Clayton Kershaw, who's still rehabbing offseason foot and knee surgeries -- watched from behind.

Sasaki admitted that he felt "some nerves" and that his body "maybe wasn't moving the way that I was expecting it to." But Austin Barnes, who crouched behind home plate, was impressed with the ride on his fastball and the movement of his splitter.

"I haven't really seen a pitch like that before," said Barnes, the longtime backup catcher who faced Sasaki while playing for Team Mexico during the 2023 World Baseball Classic. "It's different than Yamamoto's. It's good. It's hard to catch sometimes. It's moving all over the place."

Sasaki's first taste of the major leagues will begin without any artificial limitations, even though he combined for only 210 innings with the Chiba Lotte Marines from 2023 to 2024. The Dodgers believe the six-man rotation will benefit Sasaki just as much as it will help Ohtani as he transitions back into a two-way role, but their depth will allow them to build in additional rest at the first signs of fatigue.

Preserving Sasaki's health is their most important task in Year 1.

"I do feel confident that as long as he's healthy, that he'll be able to perform well," Ohtani said. "The important thing is for him to be acclimating to the environment that he's in."