Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani threw a 50-pitch bullpen session on Saturday, checking off another step in his long-awaited return to the mound. Ohtani, who had previously topped out at 35 pitches, has not thrown in a big-league game since Aug. 23, 2023. A few weeks later, he underwent elbow surgery that has since required him to prioritize hitting and recovery.
Standard operating procedure in these cases has a pitcher building up their arm strength in bullpen sessions before eventually making a series of rehab starts. (Ohtani, for his part, has yet to introduce breaking balls to his bullpen sessions.) It’s unclear how the Dodgers intend to handle that component given that Ohtani remains an important part of their lineup.
Ohtani, 30, has made 86 career pitching appearances in MLB. He’s compiled a 3.01 ERA (142 ERA+) and a 3.51 strikeout-to-walk ratio, all the while finishing fourth in American League Cy Young Award voting after the 2022 season. His next pitching appearance will be his first since signing a 10-year pact with the Dodgers following the 2023 campaign.
The Dodgers have abstained from offering a potential timetable on Ohtani’s return to the mound. Back in spring training, manager Dave Roberts said a May return sounded “about right.” Ohtani, though, warned that he wouldn’t have a feel for it until he began throwing bullpen sessions. Further complicating the process was the offseason shoulder surgery he required last fall after he dislocated his left shoulder on a stolen-base attempt during the World Series.
“The shoulder surgery is a complicated surgery compared to the elbow,” Ohtani said in February. “I had to work on the range of motion. There’s some residual effect in the labrum.”
Ohtani’s arm troubles haven’t impacted him as a positional player. Through Saturday’s game against his old team, the Los Angeles Angels, he’s hitting .305/.404/.667 (199 OPS+) with 16 home runs, 29 runs batted in, and 10 stolen bases (on 13 attempts). His contributions have been worth an estimated 2.5 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball Reference’s calculations.
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