ATLANTA — The details are still a little fuzzy, but the end result seems obvious – Shohei Ohtani will return to two-way status on Sunday in Detroit.
Ohtani’s first start since July 3 figures to be a one-inning outing, essentially as an opener for left-hander Eric Lauer.
Ohtani is expected to throw either a bullpen session or live batting practice to hitters at some point in the next few days. That was as far ahead as Dodgers manager Dave Roberts wanted to look.
But all signs point to Ohtani pitching on Sunday when the Dodgers will have to make a choice – start Tyler Glasnow on four days of rest (an unlikely decision in his second start back from a back injury), start Lauer (Roberts has already said Lauer is moving into the bullpen) or start Ohtani with Lauer following him.
“It’s a possibility,” Roberts said. “It’s a possibility with the off day on Monday. So it’s a possibility. But that’s all contingent on Shohei this week feeling good, and all the heads coming together and coming to a consensus that it’s the right thing to do.”
By starting Ohtani on Sunday, the Dodgers would have four weeks (and 26 games) remaining in the regular season to build him up to the point where he could go five or six innings in a postseason game, assuming there are no setbacks with the left knee that has limited him to DH duties for the past seven weeks.
Before he was shut down as a pitcher, Ohtani was 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA in 14 starts.
DAY OFF
Outfielder Teoscar Hernandez was not in the starting lineup Tuesday night. Roberts opted to give him a break in the midst of a prolonged slump.
Hernandez had a .276 average and .785 OPS when he went on the injured list with a strained hamstring in mid-June. Since he returned, he has hit .206 with a .588 OPS, four home runs and 13 RBIs in 45 games.
“Not great,” Roberts said when asked to evaluate Hernandez’s at-bats recently.
“I think for me I could see there’s a little mechanics part of it which is leading to a lot of swing-and-miss which leads to frustration. … (Hernandez) worked real hard today with the hitting guys. They said they’ve seen some things in the swing that could help. So I’m encouraged.”
Roberts said Hernandez will be back in the lineup for the next five games of this road trip. But Kiké Hernandez, Tommy Edman and Alex Call are all candidates to get more playing time in left field if Hernandez doesn’t get untracked.
REHAB ROUNDUP
Almost three months after his most recent game action, catcher Will Smith began a minor-league rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday night. Smith has been sidelined since June 5 with an inflamed disc in his neck.
According to Roberts, the plan is for Smith to spend the week with OKC then join the Dodgers for their homestand next week and be activated when rosters expand in September.
Relief pitcher Blake Treinen has made four appearances on his rehab assignment, one with Class-A Ontario and three with OKC. The right-hander has allowed two hits and one walk while striking out seven in 3⅔ scoreless innings so far. Treinen has been out since June 19 with an elbow injury.
ROSTER MOVE
In order to clear a spot on the active roster for Glasnow on Tuesday, the Dodgers returned right-hander Paul Gervase to OKC.
UP NEXT
Dodgers (RHP Roki Sasaki, 5-5, 4.42 ERA) at Braves (RHP AJ Smith-Shawver, 0-0, 6.23 ERA), Wednesday, 4:15 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA, MLB Network, 570 AM