Shohei Ohtani took another step toward joining the Los Angeles Dodgers as a pitcher Saturday afternoon. Prior to their game against the Philadelphia Phillies (GameTracker), Ohtani threw a 26-pitch bullpen session, his second since resuming his throwing program last week. He threw splitters during Saturday’s bullpen for the first time as part of his build-up.
“It’s a week [between bullpens], but then there’s also the one in between, where he touches the mound on a Thursday,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said about Ohtani’s timetable (via MLB.com). “And I think it’s just more trying to keep him on a similar seven-day program, and what the schedule would look like going out, and build from there.”
The Dodgers still have not finalized a timetable for Ohtani’s return to game action as a pitcher. For a normal pitcher, it’s usually a six-week build-up from throwing bullpens to pitching in MLB games. Ohtani is not a normal pitcher. He also has hitting to focus on, plus the Dodgers are obviously handling him carefully. Their priority is having him pitch in the postseason, not in May or June.
Ohtani, the pitcher, is working his way back from his September 2023 elbow surgery. He shut down his throwing program in spring training, on Feb. 25, to focus on his hitting preparation for the regular season. Now that the season has begun, Ohtani has resumed throwing, and reintroducing splitters to his arsenal on Saturday is a significant milestone in his build-up.
The Dodgers are understandably being cautious with Ohtani’s rehab. They don’t want to risk a setback that not only delays his return to the mound, but also causes him to miss time as a hitter. The Dodgers have nine more years and close to $700 million invested in Ohtani — they want him back pitching in games, for sure, but the big picture is the priority.
In 2023, the last time he pitched, Ohtani threw 132 innings with a 3.14 ERA and 167 strikeouts. On a per-inning basis, Ohtani was as good as just about any pitcher in the game from 2021-23. He is also one of the best hitters in the world. Last season, he became the first 50/50 player in history en route to winning his third MVP award.
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