The Los Angeles Dodgers‘ two-way star Shohei Ohtani has begun throwing live batting practices in front of live hitters as he continues to prepare for a return to the mound this season. Manager Dave Roberts revealed to the media this week that Ohtani could pitch in a game before the All-Star break, and that those chances “aren’t totally zero” anymore.
Ohtani recently threw a simulated game on Tuesday before the Dodgers’ game against the San Diego Padres, and both Roberts and pitching coach Mark Prior indicated that Ohtani looked good.
The last time Ohtani threw in an MLB game was nearly two years ago on August 11, 2023, before leaving the game and later having to undergo Tommy John Surgery. Since that moment, he has won two MVP awards and has absolutely been tearing it up with the bat. He is likely the front-runner for a third consecutive MVP award, especially if he returns to pitch and is serviceable.
The Dodgers Need Ohtaniâs Arm
Ohtani has been adamant about his return to the mound, and after signing a 10-year, $700 million contract, his Los Angeles Dodgers pitching debut is highly anticipated, and everyone wants to see how he performs after a nearly two-year absence.
On top of that, the Dodgers could use him on the pitching front. They are missing three frontline arms in the rotation in Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and Roki Sasaki. Tony Gonsolin was also recently added to the Injured List. This has caused guys like Landon Knack and Justin Wrobleski to see innings on the mound, which hasn’t fared well for Los Angeles. They’ve also had to turn to several bullpen games, considering the rotation isn’t quite complete at the moment.
How Does Ohtaniâs Pitching Affect the Roster?
Los Angeles Dodgers insider and ESPN writer Alden Gonzalez provided sound reasoning why Ohtani’s pitching also benefits the roster as a whole:
“Ohtani carries a two-way player” designation, which, according to a rule established by Major League Baseball in 2019, allowed him to pitch without counting toward a team’s 13-pitcher limit. As the 14th pitcher, the Dodgers are afforded the luxury of bringing Ohtani back before he is fully stretched out like a traditional starter. In other words, they can initially have Ohtani make two- to three-inning starts and have another pitcher lined up behind him to serve as essentially a piggyback starter.”
Roberts echoed this sentiment when he told Gonzalez, “It certainly doesn’t have to be a full buildup, because anything he can give us is certainly additive.”
So that seems to be the plan for Ohtani returning to the mound at this moment. He will throw many simulated games to ensure that he can be strong for just a few innings. The trade-off to that, however, is losing Ohtani’s bat in the order for the game, but assuming he would still be able to pinch-hit later in the game if his outing is over.
Other Dodgersâ Pitcher Updates
The Los Angeles Dodgers are seemingly starting to get better news on a couple of pitchers as of this week. It sounds as if 2X CY Young winner Snell has a chance to be activated off the Injured List next week for a start against his former team, the San Diego Padres. He threw a 70-pitch bullpen back at Dodger Stadium before this Padres series.
As for Gonsolin, it doesn’t look as promising as he’s dealing with elbow soreness. However, he may be getting phased out of the rotation soon if Ohtani returns, and Snell and Glasnow come back healthy.
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