Shohei Ohtani pitching return remains unclear as Dodgers heal up
Dave Roberts says the Dodgers still do not know when Shohei Ohtani will pitch again as several injured teammates move closer to returns.
By Deshawn Carter · Sports Writer
3 min read
Shohei Ohtani pitching return plans remain unsettled for the Los Angeles Dodgers, even as the club gets a wave of better injury news around him, according to ESPN.
Manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday he still did not know when Ohtani would throw from a mound again. Ohtani continues to hit in the Dodgers’ lineup, but his pitching track has stalled since he was scratched from his first scheduled start after the All-Star break.
ESPN reported that Ohtani, 32, was pulled from that start last Wednesday because of ongoing discomfort in his left knee. He did throw a 30-pitch bullpen session in Philadelphia that day, but a follow-up bullpen session planned for three days later was postponed.
Ohtani has not pitched in a game since July 3 and had not thrown a baseball in any capacity for six days as of Tuesday, according to the report. That gap is starting to matter for a pitcher who had been building back toward a starter’s workload.
When will Shohei Ohtani pitch again?
The Dodgers have not set a return date for Ohtani as a pitcher. Roberts told ESPN the team is nearing the point where Ohtani may need to restart his throwing buildup if the layoff keeps stretching.
“We are getting closer to that,” Roberts said, according to ESPN. “He's a starting pitcher, so when you start missing three, four, five weeks of that build-up, then you got to kind of start up again.”
Ohtani has one roster quirk working in his favor. ESPN noted that he does not count against the Dodgers’ allotment of 13 pitchers, which could let Los Angeles use him before he is fully stretched out, possibly as an opener, the way he was used while coming back from elbow surgery last season.
Who is coming back for the Dodgers?
The broader injury picture is moving in a happier direction for Los Angeles. ESPN reported that Enrique Hernandez was activated from the injured list Tuesday before the Dodgers opened a three-game home series against the Seattle Mariners.
Closer Edwin Diaz is expected to return Wednesday, according to ESPN. Blake Snell, identified in the report as the Dodgers’ $182 million starter, could be back next week, while catcher Will Smith has resumed baseball activities in his recovery from a neck injury.
Snell, who has made one start this season, is scheduled for what could be his final rehab outing Wednesday. Tyler Glasnow, sidelined since early May by back spasms, is also set to face hitters at Dodger Stadium that day, a step ESPN said could come before his own rehab assignment.
ESPN reported that Snell and Glasnow are expected back next month. The Dodgers’ rotation currently includes Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Justin Wrobleski, Roki Sasaki and Emmet Sheehan.
Could the Dodgers still chase Tarik Skubal?
Rival executives still see the Dodgers as the favorites to land Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal if he becomes available, ESPN reported, citing Los Angeles’ farm system, its push for a third straight championship and questions around its rotation before Monday’s trade deadline.
Dodgers officials have privately played down their interest in Skubal, according to ESPN. Roberts, speaking publicly Tuesday, backed the starters already in the organization.
“I feel very confident,” Roberts said, citing Snell’s progress, Glasnow’s physical condition and the team’s caution with Ohtani. He added that, taken together, he feels good about those three as starters for the rest of the season.
This story draws on original reporting from ESPN.com.