Shohei Ohtani played catch at Wrigley Field and now is set to throw his next full bullpen session on Saturday after not doing last weekend while he was away from the Los Angeles Dodgers for the birth of his daughter.
Ohtani has been throwing off a mound two times per week as he continues to ramp up ahead of making his Dodgers pitching debut later this season.
Manager Dave Roberts recently said the two-way star is still months away from pitching in a game but fully expects him to be available for the postseason.
Roberts clarified that the timeline he provided has more to do with where Ohtani is right now in his recovery and that it could potentially change, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
Tuesday, Roberts acknowledged that the current estimate was not a specific return the Dodgers have mapped out but was “more guessing on where he’s at right now.”
When recently discussing his progress, Ohtani shared a hope to soon take another step forward by facing batters. However, he also expressed an understanding with how cautious the Dodgers have been with handling his schedule.
Ohtani was limited to throwing fastballs (two-seam, four-seam and cutter) in his bullpens early on, but started incorporating splitters for the first time during a bullpen session on April 5.
Ohtani still has to utilize his slider in bullpen sessions, which he will likely do before progressing to facing hitters.
Shohei Ohtani feeling ‘pretty good’
While Ohtani still has restrictions on what he can do in his bullpen sessions, the 30-year-old is feeling good physically and remains encouraged by his progress toward eventually facing batters.
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