Prior to the Los Angeles Dodgers starting their first official road trip of the 2024 season, Shohei Ohtani was in the outfield at Wrigley Field to continue with his throwing program.
Ohtani started throwing from flat ground on March 25, which came shortly after he addressed the media for the first time since Ippei Mizuhara was fired by the Dodgers for illegal gambling and purported theft.
Ohtani then took three days of rest before resuming with playing catch and he has been on an every-other-day schedule since.
Ohtani had right elbow surgery — the second of his career — on Sept. 19, 2023. He completed a rehab process with hitting before Spring Training ended and has been in the Dodgers lineup every game so far this season.
One day closer. pic.twitter.com/olRqd9kOAy
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 5, 2024
The throwing sessions have been with Dodgers vice president of player performance Brandon McDaniel while head athletic trainer Thomas Albert, among others, look on.
When will Shohei Ohtani pitch again?
While the throwing program is certainly a positive development, the Dodgers have remained adamant that Ohtani will not pitch during the 2024 season. But potentially playing the outfield could be a possibility late in the year.
“We’ll see how that progression goes. If his arm is healthy enough, we’ll have that conversation about the field,” Roberts recently said. “I do know he’s not going to pitch this year. Right now, our only focus is him being the designated hitter.”
During an interview with the Associated Press, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who performed Ohtani’s elbow surgery, indicated a plan was in place to have him face batters in a simulated environment at some point in September.
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