Shohei Ohtani took another step forward in his recovery process by facing batters for the first time since having a second career Tommy John surgery.
Ohtani faced teammates Hyeseong Kim and Dalton Rushing, in addition to Dodgers game planning coach J.T. Watkins. He was originally scheduled to pitch in the simulated game on Saturday, but it was pushed back due to the Dodgers and Mets playing 13 innings in their series opener at Citi Field.
To no surprise, Ohtani’s throwing session drew quite the crowd for the one inning of work.
#Dodgers Shohei Ohtani back on a big-league mound pic.twitter.com/P9SPO8VW2F
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) May 25, 2025
Shohei Ohtani vs Hyeseong Kim. pic.twitter.com/AuBXg3qlUQ
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) May 25, 2025
Turnout to watch live BP pic.twitter.com/q9rrIS8uBE
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) May 25, 2025
After striking out JT Watkins, Shohei Ohtani strikes out Dalton Rushing on five pitches. pic.twitter.com/Ts45ZKY3C5
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) May 25, 2025
Some fist bumps for Shohei Ohtani after his simulated inning. Threw 23 pitches, got a pair of strikeouts, issued a walk and allowed a double to Hyeseong Kim (who grounded to the mound his first at-bat).
J.T. Watkins flipped his bat after drawing the walk.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) May 25, 2025
Prior to Sunday, Ohtani had recently been on a schedule of throwing a light bullpen session every Wednesday and fuller work off the mound on Saturdays. There were a few exceptions, like when Ohtani’s daughter was born and when the Dodgers had a 12:10 p.m. PT start time at Dodger Stadium.
He was kept on that schedule until starting to incorporate sliders and curveballs while playing catch.
When is Shohei Ohtani pitching?
The Dodgers have not set any semblance of a firm timeline for Ohtani to make his return to pitching this season. However, it has been reported that won’t come until after the All-Star break. Manager Dave Roberts told Ken Rosenthal during the Fox broadcast on Saturday that was generally the target date.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
