Two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani’s return to the pitching mound was always going to be a lengthy process, and it’s no surprise that the Los Angeles Dodgers are taking things very slowly regarding the Japanese star’s progress in that department. The 30-year-old was unavailable to pitch for all of last season following elbow surgery and is now firmly in the rehab mode of recovery. Ohtani has already been in the bullpen and is now limited to fastballs as manager Dave Roberts takes things step by step.
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The Los Angeles Dodgers have solidly started their World Series defence, sitting on an 11-6 record. Roberts’ team won all eight of its opening eight games before dropping two of three to the Phillies, Nationals, and Cubs. Ohtani has not pitched in the MLB since August 2023, which is part of the reason for Roberts’s cautious approach, but everything is going to plan.
“I think he’s actually in a good place,”
“He’s still playing. It was a collective decision, I think that he understands the goal is to make sure that he is firing on all cylinders toward the end of the season through October. We’re in lockstep.”
“It’s a week, but then there’s also the one in between, where he touches the mound on a Thursday.”
“And I think it’s just more trying to keep him on a similar seven-day program, and what the schedule would look [like] going out, and build from there.”
The Dodgers see the 26-ball session as a success, and when he’s available to pitch in gameplay, it will be part of a reported six-man rotation. The long-term approach to Ohtani’s recovery and development is all the more understandable when you consider he’s on a 10-year contract, a point Robert’s emphasised when discussing his plan of action regarding the three-time MLB MVP.
“Certainly after No. 2, I think it makes you feel a little more human and also appreciate the longer-term and knowing he wants to pitch for a long time.”
“To get the foundation right and strong and to feel good about it coming off the second one, I think is important to him as well.”
Ohtani is a true two-way player who has already delivered with the bat for the Dodgers but has plenty in the locker when it comes to his pitching abilities.
He is 38-19 with a 3.01 ERA and 608 strikeouts in his 481⅔ innings as a pitcher.
The Dodgers brought in Ohtani on an incredible $700 million 10-year contract after the 2023 season before playing an integral part in their World Series triumph in 2024, their first since 2020 and their eighth overall.
