News on Ohtani’s return date has fans worried

Shohei Ohtani made his last start as a pitcher in August 2023 with the Los Angeles Angels, before tearing his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL). The injury required surgery, and the Japanese superstar has been recovering ever since. Now with the Dodgers, he hopes to return to the mound sometime this season.

Ohtani has been throwing bullpen sessions for several weeks, including during the series at Chase Field against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

After one of those sessions, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said it’s still unclear what the next step will be in getting Ohtani back into the rotation as soon as possible.

‘I don’t know the next step’ for Ohtani

“He’s working toward his return to the mound,” Roberts said. “I thought he threw the ball well. I don’t know what the next step is in his progression yet, but overall, today was a good day for Shohei.”

So far, Ohtani hasn’t started throwing sliders during his workouts, and he won’t face live hitters until he does. The good news is that he’s already hitting 95 mph, a strong sign that his rehab is progressing well. Still, the Dodgers are being cautious to avoid any setbacks—especially since he’s been performing at a high level as the team’s designated hitter.

“I’m trying to restrain myself because I know we’re being very meticulous with this, clearly,” Roberts added. “But yeah, when you see his arm and what it’s capable of, you start thinking about how he could help us right now. But I’m trying to be patient.”

A return to the mound is still a ways off. According to Roberts, Ohtani’s pitching debut is expected to come after the MLB All-Star Break—possibly even closer to the start of the postseason.

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The Dodgers have already had to navigate several injuries in their starting rotation, including one to Tyler Glasnow. As a result, they’ve adjusted the schedules of Roki Sasaki and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, both of whom pitched on five days’ rest instead of the usual six during last week’s series against the Diamondbacks.

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