The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired Tarik Skubal before the trade deadline, which naturally lessens the need for Shohei Ohtani to pitch again this season as he continues to deal with a left knee injury.
Ohtani’s two-way status is currently limited as he plays through knee discomfort, and a return to the mound does not appear to be on the horizon.
But the 32-year-old just resumed playing catch, and there have been signs of progression in his knee. Still, Ohtani’s status remains unclear until he really starts throwing with intensity again and sees how his knee responds.
The Dodgers could instead have Ohtani focus on hitting after adding Skubal to their rotation, but their plans to have the reigning MVP pitch again remain unchanged.
“We’re still planning on getting Shohei built up. So I think with regards to Shohei, I really don’t think it has any impact,” Dodgers manager recently Dave Roberts said. “We have a plan to build him slowly and methodically, and that would’ve happened if this trade happened or not.
“Where we’re at right now, we’ve got to get going. So it’s not a matter if he can take down innings and buy us some more time. It certainly makes us better, but I think with regard to Shohei, the plan is the plan.”
Ohtani’s role as a pitcher for the postseason will be greatly influenced by how these final months of the regular season play out in regard to his health.
“I think that’s all contingent on his buildup,” Roberts noted. “I think the thing is, obviously, we’re not going to have that luxury of the rehab situation, so I think it’s going to look a little bit like we did last year. So go from there and then once we get to a point in the middle of September, we’ll have a better idea of what it looks like.”
Andrew Friedman confident Shohei Ohtani will pitch
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman previously spoke on the organization’s objective with Ohtani’s rehabilitation. Neither aspect of his game, hitting or pitching, is being prioritized over the other.
The Dodgers’ goal is for Ohtani to be playing on both sides of the ball by the time October rolls around, and the addition of Skubal was not an indication that the plan for Ohtani had changed.
“What I said the other day, I still feel about Sho. We’re as confident as we can be that he’s going to be back and he’s going to start throwing sooner to build back up,” Friedman said. “Can never perfectly predict the future, but if you said, ‘Hey, place a bet on it,’ I would be very confident placing it that he will be back pitching.
“My standpoint, I really hope we get to the end of the season, and everyone is healthy, feeling good, and strong. That’s the best kind of tough decisions and figuring that out that we could possibly have. We welcome that.”
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