Shohei Ohtani has not made a pitching start for the Los Angeles Dodgers since July 3 as he deals with lingering left knee soreness.
The 32-year-old has resumed his throwing program after suffering a setback following the first bullpen session of his rehabilitation.
Although taken as a negative development, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said it provided Ohtani with more buy-in to move slowly with his rehab.
“At the end of the day, he wants to be healthy. He wants to be there in the postseason,” Roberts said. “I think that did check him up, and so I think that if you look at how we’ve paused things, I think that he certainly, and we want we all want to be smart and careful. I’m happy that we’ve done that with him.”
The acquisition of Tarik Skubal at the trade deadline and Blake Snell’s return from the 60-day injured list has provided relief for the starting rotation, but the Dodgers would still like to get their superstar back on the mound this season.
Roberts was encouraged by the day of playing Ohtani completed on Tuesday, which was followed by getting some dry work in off the mound without actually throwing a ball. Roberts agreed that is a sign the right-hander could be closing in on throwing off a mound in earnest.
“I don’t know when that’s going to take place, but I do think we should all be encouraged that throwing out to 200-plus feet yesterday, and then doing the dry throws. Then, probably the next progression is getting on the mound,” he said.
Once Ohtani is cleared to resume mound work, he will follow a similar checklist to that of last season. This includes bullpens, live throwing sessions and using Major League games as rehab starts. The number of bullpens and lives needed before Ohtani throws in the Majors has yet to be determined.
The decision to take this course of action was made much easier by having Skubal and Snell available.
“I think so, but I still feel that his health is the main thing anyway, and regardless of having Skubal or not, or having Snell back, you still got to treat him individually with what’s best for him,” Roberts said of there being less pressure of getting Ohtani back as a pitcher.
“And it is kind of additive, given he’s a two-way player, to get those innings up for sure.”
Helping Ohtani rehab as a pitcher last season proved to be a valuable experience for the team, and they feel comfortable using 2025 as a blueprint.
“Having done that, inning here, inning there, then you sort of build up during the season, absolutely,” Roberts said. “And I think that he’s seen it how that build-up could lead to, and how it looks. I certainly believe that he’s confident and he’ll buy into that.”
Last season, the right-hander averaged around three innings and 43 pitches per start through his first 10 outings. He did not exceed two innings in a single outing until his fourth appearance.
Shohei Ohtani potential timeline
While not set in stone, Roberts provided an outline of what the next steps Ohtani needs to complete before the team lets him go back out on the mound in a Major League game.
“Well, I think that it’s a few pens, it’s a live, and I think for me after the live, I feel good about a Major League inning that he could take down. And then you go from there,” he said.
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