The Los Angeles Dodgers have maintained Shohei Ohtani will pitch again this season but in what capacity that could become the case is still unclear.
Ohtani’s last pitching start was July 3 and he was removed from the rotation indefinitely upon getting scratched from a start coming out of the All-Star break. Ohtani did manage to throw a bullpen session on July 22, but that brought about more left knee discomfort and led to a second day of work off the mound being canceled.
Since that point Ohtani has been limited to throwing weighted baseballs.
Shohei Ohtani update
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts suggested Ohtani would resume playing catch while the team started their road trip in Chicago. That didn’t come to be, but the two-way superstar shared there nonetheless has been some progress in his recovery from left knee trouble even if it requires a deliberate approach.
“It’s getting pretty good day by day,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton on SportsNet LA. “It’s hard to tell at this point what the schedule is going to look like.
“First I need to do plyos, then go into long toss, then go into a bullpen progression. Rather than rush the progression of this, I want to make sure we’re headed in the right direction and making sure we’re taking the right steps.”
Given how much time Ohtani has missed from pitching or being able to throw off a mound, his buildup is going to look similar to last season’s progression. Rather than continue to throw live batting practice before games, Ohtani effectively completed a rehab assignment at the Major League level.
He made two starts of one inning each, then back-to-back outings of two innings before completing three frames and continuing to build from there.
In addition to the lingering left knee trouble, Ohtani has twice dealt with discomfort in his right bicep this season. Though, he’s largely downplayed that issue.
Given that Ohtani isn’t available, the Dodgers fortified their rotation at the trade deadline by acquiring Tarik Skubal. They also traded for Kris Bubic, but he currently is on the 60-day injured list and is expected to pitch out of the bullpen once healthy.
Meanwhile, Blake Snell is on the verge of returning this week. The biggest beneficiary appears to have been Eric Lauer as he was not traded like some had come to expect.
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