DALLAS -- Shohei Ohtani has taken a step forward in his rehab from shoulder surgery, as he's started an offseason throwing program, Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said on Monday at the Winter Meetings.

Ohtani, who underwent a procedure to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder on Nov. 5, is playing catch out to 60 feet, per Gomes. He sustained the injury to his non-throwing arm during Game 2 of the World Series on an attempted steal of second base.

While the surgery was not expected to affect Ohtani's start to the season as a hitter, the Dodgers do not believe their superstar will be available to pitch when they open the regular season with a two-game set in Tokyo from March 18-19.

"Very unlikely," manager Dave Roberts said of Ohtani's chances of pitching in Japan. "I just don't see us starting the clock in March to then think that we would keep that continuously going through October. Then that would call for a break or reprieve in the middle of the season, so I don't know. I still think unlikely."

Ohtani has not pitched since 2023, when he underwent a second ulnarcollateral ligament repair procedure on his right elbow.

Asked how much the shoulder procedure had slowed Ohtani's return to the mound, Gomes said, "Not that much, seemingly." He added that the Dodgers do not want to rush Ohtani's buildup, taking his rehab one step at a time to ensure that he's in his best shape when the games matter most.

"Early-season games are very important, but we feel like if we can get him to a position where he is peaking toward the end of the season, that is the ideal scenario," Gomes said. "But there are guys that throw a lot of innings early on, so I think so much of it is just seeing how he goes. He's obviously one of one right now. ¡­ He just has a higher workload from the hitting side, too, so we just have to figure out how to balance that all properly."

As of now, the Dodgers anticipate Ohtani to be able to DH in games where he starts on the mound. Ohtani did so for the first time in his Major League career in April 2021, and he has mostly pulled double duty on his start days since.

When he debuted in 2018, Ohtani's hitting and pitching workloads were more closely managed as the two-way superstar adjusted to life in the Major Leagues. Now, when fully healthy, Ohtani is accustomed to doing both on the same day -- and there's no expectation that that won't be the case next year.

"I don't think that he or any of us expect it to be any different than previously, but obviously, that will be a very important conversation as we get closer," Gomes said, "because not many people have done both. I certainly have no experience and none of our other guys do either, so we'll lean on him for some guidance now."