The Los Angeles Dodgers are in somewhat of a holding pattern with Shohei Ohtani in terms of pitching as he remains limited by left knee irritation.
Ohtani was scratched from a pitching start on July 10, received an Orthovisc injection in his ailing knee days later, and was penciled in to take the mound against the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday. However, the Dodgers wound up scratching Ohtani for a second time this month and he is out of their rotation indefinitely.
When Ohtani is able to return to pitching could become more clear later this week as he hopes to throw a bullpen session, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.
Still no update to Shohei Ohtani’s pitching timetable, but Dave Roberts did say Ohtani could throw a bullpen session this weekend.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) July 20, 2026
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told Buster Olney on the ESPN broadcast it would be roughly one week to 10 days before the Dodgers “even entertain” the notion of slotting Ohtani back into the starting rotation.
Although Ohtani is not currently able to pitch, he did play long toss between the Dodgers’ doubleheader games at Yankee Stadium on Sunday. Ohtani then played catch again before the series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Being able to keep his arm active is paramount to rejoining the Dodgers’ rotation. Had Ohtani needed to refrain from all throwing it would’ve complicated matters and likely resulted in a lengthier progression similar to what’s seen during Spring Training.
Shohei Ohtani remaining Dodgers’ DH
Another positive development for Ohtani and the Dodgers is his ability to remain in the lineup. Even though he at times runs with a limp and appears to lack some mobility, Ohtani has maintained the knee irritation primarily affects him when pitching.
The 32-year-old said before the All-Star break he likely would need to make some mechanical adjustments to aid his knee and does wonder if having surgery in September 2019 is related to the current trouble.
That season-ending procedure became necessary to repair a bipartite patella, a rare congenital condition. Bipartite patella occurs when the two bones of the kneecap did not fuse together at birth.
Given Ohtani’s importance to the team, the Dodgers are surely to err on the side of caution in handling his path back to making pitching starts. They figure to also look to provide more days of rest for their superstar down the stretch of the season.
In addition to the left knee injury, Ohtani has dealt with a blister on the middle finger of his right hand and two bouts of discomfort in his right bicep at various points this year.
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