Counsell Lights The Fuse on the Ohtani Rule, Then Walks Away

Craig Counsell didn’t just question the so‑called “Shohei Ohtani Rule” on Friday. He basically lit the fuse on a dynamite bundle, set it down in the dugout, and walked out before anyone could ask how long the fuse was supposed to be.

Counsell revived debate around Major League Baseball’s so-called “Shohei Ohtani Rule” on Friday, reaffirming his belief that the two-way player exemption is “a bad rule,” though offering little explanation as to why.

Before the Cubs opened their series against the Dodgers, Counsell sought to make clear his criticism was not directed at either Ohtani or Los Angeles.

“This is not a Dodger thing, it’s not an Ohtani thing,” Counsell said. “It is a bad rule.”

The remark followed comments Counsell made last week when he described the rule as “bizarre,” but when pressed Friday to expand on what specifically he objects to, the Cubs manager declined to elaborate.

“That’s it,” Counsell said. “You guys figure it out. It’s a good discussion. It’s an interesting discussion.”

That response left the subject hanging in a curious place. Counsell had raised a strong objection to the rule, suggested it was worthy of debate, then stopped short of offering the argument himself.

The rule in question allows players designated as two-way players — a category created largely with Ohtani in mind — not to count against baseball’s 13-pitcher roster limit. Supporters view it as a practical accommodation for a singular talent. Critics, or at least Counsell among them, appear to see something less elegant in the arrangement.

What exactly that concern is remains somewhat unclear.

If the objection is competitive balance, Counsell did not say. If it is rooted in opposition to player-specific exceptions, he did not go there either.

Instead, the comment lingered more as provocation than explanation.

That alone made it one of the more unusual pregame exchanges, particularly given its timing. With Ohtani in the opposing dugout and the Cubs in town, Counsell reopened a conversation he seemed equally reluctant to fully enter.

And perhaps that was the irony of the moment.