New Delhi, Oct. 17 -- The Dodgers have an answer about what Shohei Ohtani wants to do next season, but not yet about what it will take to get him there. He intends to pitch again in 2027. Whether that return requires surgery on his knee or right arm remains unresolved.

Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton that he "definitely" plans to pitch next year, Brian Murphy reported for MLB.com. Asked about an offseason procedure, he said it was "hard to tell at this point" and would be analyzed and discussed during the winter.

The distinction matters for a club beginning its offseason earlier than it hoped. The Dodgers' NLCS sweep by Milwaukee ended Thursday with a 6-4 defeat, leaving Ohtani in the on-deck circle when Los Angeles ran out ...