The Los Angeles Dodgers may be getting Shohei Ohtani back in the lineup before the MLB calendar turns to October.
The Dodgers placed Ohtani on the 15-day IL on Sept. 8 as he continues to deal with lingering knee and bicep injuries. The Japanese slugger began hitting balls off a tee last week in preparation for a return to the lineup.
The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya reported Saturday that Ohtani will come off the injured list on Wednesday. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters that there’s “a good chance” Ohtani gets activated for a return either on Wednesday or Thursday.
Ohtani reportedly swung off a Trajekt Arc machine, which is expected to be the closest he’ll get to facing live pitching before returning to the Dodgers’ lineup. He also managed “between 30 to 40 swings” in the batting cage during L.A.’s win over the San Francisco Giants.
If Ohtani returns on Wednesday, the four-time MVP would have only five regular-season games to get his bat going again before the playoffs. He has only had three at-bats since going 0-for-4 in the Dodgers’ Sept. 2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Ohtani has all but abandoned any hopes of him pitching again this season, which means the Dodgers likely won’t be benefiting from any ridiculous two-way performances as Shohei had last year.
How quickly Shohei begins to look like himself again at the plate make the difference in October as the Dodgers go for a historic three-peat.
