Shohei Ohtani continued his hot hitting in spring training on Sunday as he went 3-for-3 with a triple, two RBIs and two runs in the Los Angeles Dodgers' 7-4 win over the Colorado Rockies.
The Dodgers' record off-season signing has reached base in seven straight plate appearances in the preseason Cactus League in his comeback from a second major elbow surgery in September.
"I think he's probably ahead of where we expected," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told MLB.com.
"To see where he's at right now, it's obviously a good thing. But I don't think he's surprised by it."
In a sign of the team's confidence in his recovery, Ohtani is scheduled to play his first games on back-to-back days since the surgery, which will keep him off pitching duties until next year.
The first game on Tuesday in Phoenix, Arizona, will be against his former club, the Los Angeles Angels.
The Dodgers' other big-name Japanese signing is also set to feature in the upcoming games.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto is scheduled to make his second Cactus League start on Wednesday against the Chicago White Sox, a week after his impressive debut outing.