NEW YORK -- If there ever was any doubt that the Yankees are seriously interested in signing the so-called Babe Ruth of Japan, there isn't any more.

Shohei Ohtani, a superstar pitcher and hitter for the Nippon Ham Fighters who may sign with Major League club in the coming offseason, will make his second start of the season this week with Yankees general manager Brian Cashman watching in person.

Cashman took a flight from New York to Japan on Monday to get a look at Ohtani, according to Nikkan Sports, one of Japan's largest sports newspapers.

The report said Cashman will scout Ohtani along with Yankees associate scout Shoichi Kida, who is based in Japan.

Interesting, huh?

Ohtani, who turned 23 in July, hasn't decided if he'll leave Japan for the Major Leagues next season. The Ham Fighters would have to sign off on it, but they're expected to allow Ohtani to be posted.

How the Ohtani sweepstakes would play out also is unknown because MLB wants to revise its current posting system.

If nothing changes, any club willing to pay Ohtani's Japanese club a $20 million release fee would have the rights to negotiate a contract.

Ohtani, however, likely would get a very low salary to start out because he'd be required to be paid with international bonus poll dollars in season one because he wouldn't be regarded as a free agent.

The Yankees have acquired extra international bonus dollars this summer in three trades to fuel speculation they will go hard for Ohtani.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Texas Rangers already have had execs in Japan this season to watch Ohtani, who has been limited to one outing as a pitcher and 45 games as a designated hitter due to a left hamstring strain.

The Boston Red Sox and Yankees are among the favorites, according to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports, although the winning club may be the one that permits Ohtani to continue pitching and hitting on a regular basis.

Ohtani, who throws right and bats left, will make his second start on Aug. 30 (Aug. 31 in Japan) against the SoftBank Hawks at the Sapporo Dome in Sapporo City.

In his only outing of the season, Ohtani gave up four runs and two hits over 1 1 1/3 innings on July 12 in a loss to the Orix Buffloes. His fastball topped out at 93 mph in that game, but has topped 102 mph in past years.

"I couldn't do a single thing I wanted to do," Ohtani told reporters after the game.

This start was Ohtani's first (other than a minor-league rehab outing) since Game 1 of the Japan Series last October, a game in which he injured his right ankle running the bases.

Ohtani has had success at the plate this season, hitting .342 with five homers and 22 RBIs in 146 at-bats through Sunday.

A five-year pro, Ohtani had a great 2016 season, as he was 10-4 with a 2.12 ERA and 174 strikeouts over 140 innings as a pitcher and hit .322 with 22 homers and 67 RBIs in 323 at-bats.

Randy Miller may be reached at rmiller@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RandyJMiller. Find NJ.com on Facebook.