Cubs manager calls out 'special exception' for Shohei Ohtani; Dodgers' Dave Roberts comes to rule's defense

It goes without saying that by being a unicorn, Shohei Ohtani surely gets "exceptions."

Major League Baseball allows 13 pitchers connected a roster, but the Los Angeles Dodgers, including Ohtani, person 14. That's due to the fact that Ohtani is officially listed arsenic a two-way player, not a pitcher.

During a crippled successful Philadelphia connected Monday, Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell was asked astir the 13-pitcher regularisation when, unprovoked, hinted astatine the Dodgers and Ohtani getting a "special consideration."

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way subordinate Shohei Ohtani (17) pitches against the Toronto Blue Jays successful the 5th inning during Game 4 of the 2025 World Series astatine Dodger Stadium. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)

"It’s a regularisation to assistance offense, I think, much than anything, if you inquire me," Counsell said. "And past there’s 1 squad that’s allowed to transportation fundamentally 1 of both, and that helium gets peculiar consideration. Which is astir apt the astir bizarre rule. ... For 1 team."

The two-way subordinate designation is for players with astatine slightest 20 innings pitched successful the large leagues and astatine slightest 20 large league starts arsenic a presumption subordinate oregon designated hitter, with astatine slightest 3 sheet appearances successful each of those games. The subordinate has to scope those numbers successful the existent oregon immoderate 1 of the 2 astir caller seasons.

The designation went into effect for the 2020 season. The 31-year-old Ohtani is the lone existent subordinate who meets the criteria.

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) celebrates aft hitting a azygous against the Toronto Blue Jays successful the eighth inning during crippled 2 of the 2025 MLB World Series astatine Rogers Centre. (Dan Hamilton/Imagn Images)

SHOHEI OHTANI ON-BASE STREAK TRACKER: OHTANI TIES CHOO, MILLAR WITH 52-STRAIGHT

"There’s not different subordinate similar that, but 1 squad gets antithetic rules for that player," said Counsell.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, however, defended the regularisation and noted that it's disposable to everyone.

"The happening is, it surely benefits us, due to the fact that we person the player," Roberts said successful Colorado. "But that’s thing that, immoderate squad that had Ohtani would person that player."

"We’re much than consenting for different teams to spell retired and find a subordinate who tin bash both. He’s an objection due to the fact that he’s an exceptional player. It is what it is."

Entering the 2022 season, months aft Ohtani's time was chopped abbreviated aft pitching conscionable one-third of an inning portion hitting leadoff, Major League Baseball made a regularisation truthful that if a starting pitcher was successful the batting lineup, helium could enactment successful the lineup adjacent aft being taken retired of the mound arsenic a designated two-way player.

Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates aft hitting a location tally during the seventh inning against the Toronto Blue Jays successful crippled 3 of the 2025 World Series astatine Dodger Stadium connected Oct. 27, 2025 successful Los Angeles, California. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

During the World Series and adjacent earlier this month, Ohtani brought attraction to seemingly longer warmup sessions connected the mound due to the fact that helium had been connected the basepaths.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports sum connected X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.