Shohei Ohtani's furry friend Decoy steals the show with Dodgers star's major announcement on debut in children's book

Shohei Ohtani's two-way ability has made him one of the greatest players in MLB history. However, the Los Angeles Dodgers star has a lot more to him than just his on-field credentials.

The reigning National League MVP surprised fans on Thursday as he announced he would be co-writing a children's book featuring his dog Decoy. The book is titled "Decoy Saves Opening Day."

The Dodgers superstar made the announcement in an Instagram post on Thursday. He added a video of Decoy playing fetch in a pool.

The book, which features a fictional story about Decoy throwing out the first pitch on Opening Day, will reportedly hit the shelves in February.

"Can he get his ball and make it back to the stadium before it's too late?" the tagline for the book on Harper Collins' website read.

According to reports, Ohtani will donate the proceeds from the book sales to support animal rescue nonprofits.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts addresses Shohei Ohtani's potential next start

Shohei Ohtani went three innings deep in his last start, the longest since his surgery in September 2023. Following his lead-off role in the All-Star Game in Atlanta, the two-way phenom is expected to take the mound again soon.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the reigning NL MVP is expected to make his next start either against the Milwaukee Brewers or the Minnesota Twins at Dodger Stadium.

“Sort of who we’ve got right now is who we’re going to have coming out, and how that looks right now, I’m not sure," Roberts said. "But obviously one of the first five days, Shohei is going to pitch one of those days. We do know that.”

While Shohei Ohtani is ramping up his pitching, Roberts is cautious with the Japanese star's workload and wants the three-time MVP in the best shape for the postseason.

Edited by Chaitanya Prakash