Shohei Ohtani still has a long way to progress before he’s ready to pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers. But the two-way superstar took an important step in his recovery on Tuesday.
Ohtani threw breaking pitches for the first time during a throwing session before Tuesday’s game versus the Arizona Diamondbacks, according to manager Dave Roberts. More specifically, he threw sliders while working from flat ground.
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In previous workouts, Ohtani hadn’t been permitted to throw any pitches besides fastballs and splitters while continuing to build strength without putting added stress on his surgically repaired right elbow.
“It is progressing,” Roberts told reporters, via the Los Angeles Times. “I’m not sure when he’s going to take that slider from the flat ground to the bullpen, but that is progress. Yes.”
The number of pitches Ohtani has thrown during these sessions has also increased, steadily moving up from roughly a dozen to 25 and now to 50. Additionally, Ohtani has been taking pauses during his workouts to simulate leaving the mound and waiting in the dugout in between innings, as he would in an actual game.
Though the Dodgers haven’t announced a specific timeline for Ohtani’s return to pitching, projections are for him to take the mound at some point around the All-Star break in July.
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“I really wish I had an answer [on when it will be],” Roberts added. “I’m just waiting for the green light from people that are sort of managing Shohei’s rehab.”
The Dodgers could certainly benefit from Ohtani joining the starting rotation. The team’s pitching ranks 11th in the NL (and 23rd in MLB) with a 4.22 ERA. Starters Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki are all on the injured list, along with relievers Blake Treinen, Evan Phillips and Kirby Yates.
“It’s not the staff we thought we’d have this season,” Roberts said on Monday.
Until then, Ohtani is providing his usual production with his bat. He’s hitting .311/.405/.668 with 17 home runs (tied for the MLB lead), 31 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 222 plate appearances.
This news was originally published on this post .