Momentum that had been building toward Shohei Ohtani’s return to pitching stalled on Saturday with Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealing health remains an issue. As a result, it’s not clear if Ohtani will pitch in the series finale against the Detroit Tigers.
“He felt good coming out of [the bullpen session],” Roberts began, as seen on SportsNet LA. “I just don’t have a definitive answer as far as tomorrow. What I am certain of, is if he does pitch, it’s going to be one inning. I don’t think he’s 100%, so I think that’s the hard part right now.
“Is trying to figure out if he’s not 100% overall body, is it worth giving him an inning to build up? So I think that’s kind of where we’re at right now, is trying to weigh the positives and negatives. … The knee, the body, just throwing, pitching, not 100%. What percent it is, I don’t know the answer.”
Prior to the latest update shared by Roberts, Ohtani had been trending toward getting back on the mound in the series finale at Comerica Park. He threw live batting practice against Will Smith last weekend and followed that with a bullpen session before the series opener against the Tigers. Ohtani typically throws his bullpens two days before a pitching start.
However, it was only an estimated 20 pitches, which is fewer than what Ohtani typically throws in a bullpen.
“It was short, so I wasn’t out there for it,” Roberts said on Friday. “So I’ve got to talk to Mark (Prior). Honestly, I think it was, like, 20 pitches. I really don’t know what to make of it because I didn’t put eyes on it. Obviously, I’ve got to talk to Shohei, talk to Mark, and then we’ll make a decision for Sunday.”
If Ohtani is not able to pitch against the Tigers, Roberts indicated that Tuesday also is unlikely as the Dodgers would look to give the right-hander more time.
Whether following Ohtani or making the start himself, Tyler Glasnow is expected to pitch on Sunday.
Shohei Ohtani’s knee and bicep injuries
Ohtani’s last start on the mound was against the San Diego Padres on July 3. He completed six innings and a season-high 110 pitches, which also was the most in Ohtani’s Dodgers career. That was followed by getting scratched from his next scheduled outing and being removed from the rotation indefinitely due to continued left knee trouble.
Ohtani received an Orthovisc injection during the All-Star break instead of having the balky knee drained, and was shut down from throwing for multiple weeks. Despite that, he suffered a minor setback in the form of soreness after a bullpen session at Citizens Bank Park on July 22. Ohtani then wasn’t seen playing catch on the field until Aug. 8 at Chase Field.
That represented the start of another throwing progression with caution still in mind. Roberts had previously expressed confidence Ohtani had gotten past his left knee trouble.
As for the right bicep, the two-way star said at the end of July it was not 100%.
When Ohtani was held out of the lineup on the Fourth of July, it was revealed that marked a second time this season he was experiencing discomfort in his right bicep. But after getting the day off, Roberts said Ohtani was back to feeling good and suggested there was nothing they’d need to worry about with his bicep moving forward.
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