Ohtani Approaches Return to Pitching After Injury
After being out of the Dodgers’ starting rotation for an extended period due to a persistent left knee injury, Shohei Ohtani is getting closer to returning to the mound. This is great news, especially since manager Dave Roberts mentioned on Sunday that the timeline for Ohtani’s comeback might be moving up faster than anticipated.
Just a day after Ohtani participated in live batting practice at Dodger Stadium—his first time facing hitters since his last pitching appearance on July 3—Roberts shared that the right-hander might be ready for game action sooner than expected.
Ohtani has plans to throw a bullpen session during the upcoming series in Atlanta. Following that, the team will assess whether he can jump back into the Dodgers’ rotation or if he’ll need another live BP session first; this step was initially part of his recovery plan in recent weeks.
If all goes well, there’s a chance Ohtani could return to pitching as early as next week, according to Roberts. However, it’s unclear if that will happen during the series in Detroit next weekend or when the team returns to Los Angeles for a homestand against the Cardinals starting on September 1.
Regardless, this gives a hopeful outlook for Ohtani’s pitching prospects, which is crucial as he aims to ramp up in time for possible full-length starts during the postseason.
Roberts noted, “I think it’s really about how the bullpen session goes and to be honest, how Shohei feels.” If Ohtani feels ready to take on a game and pitch an inning, then that’s fantastic.
When he does make his return, it will likely be with a limited workload to start. Yet, Roberts mentioned that the team intends to accelerate Ohtani’s workload increase compared to last year, when he returned from Tommy John surgery and built up one inning at a time.
Last season, Ohtani made a gradual comeback, beginning with two one-inning appearances, then moving to two two-inning outings, and eventually working his way up. It wasn’t until the end of the regular season that he completed six full innings in a game.
This time, it’s a bit different. Ohtani isn’t starting from square one—he had already made 14 starts this season with an impressive 8-2 record and a 1.79 ERA before the knee injury sidelined him.
In discussing Ohtani’s recovery pace, Roberts confirmed the plan is to “be a little bit more aggressive” this year, which could play a critical role in preparing him for postseason pitching duties.
Previously, there were concerns that Ohtani might only function as a sort of glorified opener, limited to a few innings at the beginning of games. However, he could now surface as a legitimate starting option alongside a rotation that features Tarik Skubal, Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Tyler Glasnow.
Meanwhile, Eric Lauer, a current member of the rotation, is transitioning to a piggyback role out of the bullpen. He’ll be there to pitch longer innings on Tuesday, coinciding with Glasnow’s return from his own back injury. Lauer is set to follow Ohtani in each of his starts, providing essential support as the two-way star works to fully recover from his knee issue.
