Dodgers ‘Just Don’t Know’ When Shohei Ohtani Will Make Pitching Return, Says Dave Roberts
The Los Angeles Dodgers have decided to slow-play Shohei Ohtani’s pitching progression, manager Dave Roberts told reporters Thursday.
Ohtani hasn’t thrown a bullpen since Feb. 25, and Roberts said that is by design to give him a “little respite” as he ramps up as a hitter, too. The decision came from “synced up” conversations between Ohtani and the Dodgers.
“We just felt that to intensify the bullpens alongside of the intensity of the games wasn’t smart,” Roberts said. “So we just wanted to kind of slow-play it.”
While Roberts initially said he hoped Ohtani would face live hitters before the team left for Japan next week, that won’t be the case anymore. Moreover, Roberts didn’t have an exact timeline for when Ohtani would face live hitting, and ramp up as a pitcher towards a return to the mound.
Roberts was also asked if Ohtani would still be ready to pitch by May, which is the timeline that’s been provided this spring.
“I just feel, and we all feel, (that we’re) just trying to make it a broad time to return,” Roberts said, via Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. “We just don’t know. And so I think that when he’s ready, when the process, the progression, as it’s going on, we’ll know. But I don’t want to put any kind of expectation on you guys, or Shohei.”
Roberts added the Dodgers are “just trying to make sure that we don’t want to push something we don’t need to.”
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The Dodgers have made it known all offseason and spring that they wanted Ohtani to be healthy as a two-way player in October. Thus, it makes sense for the team to slow him down, despite his personal desires of returning to being a two-way player as soon as possible.
Even though he’s slowing down as a pitcher, Ohtani is continuing to ramp up as a hitter. He’s made it known all along that despite his offseason shoulder surgery, he planned on being in the lineup come March 18 for Opening Day in the Tokyo Series in Japan.
Ohtani has looked like himself thus far in Cactus League play, going 5-for-12 (.417) with one home run and an OPS of 1.167.
Photo Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
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