The Los Angeles Dodgers have long looked forward to Shohei Ohtani returning to the mound this season, but when exactly that will come to be remains unclear.
Manager Dave Roberts initially suggested Ohtani would begin pitching around May, and that looked to be feasible as the right-hander threw regular bullpen sessions during Spring Training workouts at Camelback Ranch.
However that stopped on Feb. 25, when Ohtani last pitched off a mound. He’s continued to play catch and long toss, but Ohtani’s timeline for a return to pitching is now unknown.
Pausing his progression coincided with Ohtani beginning to play in Cactus League games and is not indicative of any setback or concern.
“I wanted to prioritize the hitting aspect as we were getting into the season, to get a little breather mentally and physically on the pitching side of things,” said Ohtani through interpreter Will Ireton.
“This is according to plan, and I’m actually quite pleased with how things have been going. It was necessary, but also because things have been going according to plan, this is a time where I can actually get a breather.”
While Roberts did point to May as the rough target for Ohtani to start pitching for the Dodgers, the organization has also maintained they would be flexible and adjust the timeline if necessary.
Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior said the team is going to be particularly dependent on input from Ohtani when determining his workload amid a return to his two-way status.
Is Shohei Ohtani pitching in Japan?
What has not changed is Ohtani being ruled out from taking the mound in Japan. Well before the current pause in his progression, the Dodgers made it clear Ohtani would not pitch at the Tokyo Dome.
He’s not expected to resume throwing until after the Dodgers return stateside.
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