The Los Angeles Dodgers are not ruling out a Shohei Ohtani return to the mound before the end of the regular season.
Ohtani has gone more than a month without taking the mound for the Dodgers due to lingering injuries to his knee and bicep. The extended absence has raised questions about Ohtani’s role as a pitcher throughout the rest of the Dodgers’ season.
The latest comments from both Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes and skipper Dave Roberts gave hints of optimism about Ohtani’s rehab progress.
Roberts noted on Friday that he heard positive feedback following Ohtani’s bullpen session earlier that day. He told reporters that if Ohtani does not show any ill effects following the session, he may be a couple more bullpen sessions and two live sessions away from his next MLB start.
Gomes showed the same tempered optimism. When asked whether the team expects Ohtani to pitch again in the regular season, the Dodgers executive responded in the affirmative: “Yeah, I think so.”
“A lot of it, we just need to take our time and see if he comes in feeling good tomorrow, and then OK, what’s the next step?” Gomes said of Ohtani, via The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya. “A lot of it is just how he’s bouncing back, and do we think it’s prudent to keep progressing?”
The Dodgers’ trade deadline acquisition of Tarik Skubal and the recent return of Blake Snell have bolstered the team’s rotation of late, easing some of the pressure for Ohtani to rush his rehab.
Ohtani has been outstanding as a starter when healthy this season, posting a 1.79 ERA and 0.95 WHIP across 14 starts. But the Dodgers reportedly plan to lessen the load on Ohtani once he returns, with the four-time MVP expected to serve a different role when he does start pitching again.
