LOS ANGELES — Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani has increased his throwing progression over the last week, and on Friday threw a bullpen session at Dodger Stadium three or so hours ahead of the team’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers.
It was the first bullpen session for Ohtani since July 22 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Jack Harris at the California Post has more, including video of the bullpen session.
Ohtani last pitched in a game on July 3 in San Diego, and has been sidelined since with left knee inflammation. Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic has more on the bullpen session:
The Dodgers have not put a firm timeline on Ohtani’s return, which is complicated somewhat by his continued presence as the team’s designated hitter. But Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said he still believes Ohtani could return and pitch in a big-league game before the end of the regular season.
“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 told The Athletic following Ohtani’s bullpen session. “A lot of it is just how he’s bouncing back, and do we think it’s prudent to keep progressing?”
After Friday night’s game, manager Dave Roberts said he was pleased with Ohtani’s 35-pitch bullpen session, and laid out a timeline for a possible return to pitching. Ohtani will need to throw at least one more bullpen session, maybe two, then face hitters in a simulated game at least twice before he would return to the Dodgers.
Roberts said the team is willing to have Ohtani start even if he’s only able to pitch an inning at first, much like his gradual ramp up in his return last June.
“You start to think about who the guys that he essentially would open for, and that sort of shortens the list,” Roberts said of Ohtani. “For Shohei, knowing that any inning is additive is important, and it was a formula that worked.”
Because Ohtani is a two-way player he doesn’t count against the active roster limit of 13 pitchers, so any outs he secures on the mound are outs the bullpen wouldn’t have to cover, which lessens their workload at no extra roster cost. The Dodgers have sorely missed those Ohtani innings since he last pitched, on July 3, and the bullpen’s performance has worsened.
“We’ve missed [Ohtani], but also he was built up to six, seven innings, so you have a guy that’s additive innings and you’re getting zero, and have gotten for the last six, seven weeks,” Roberts said. “Then you have the guys we feel we have to give them their rest, to do what they’re used to doing. You know, there’s a cost to doing business sometimes.”