Dodgers Halt Shohei Ohtani’s Throwing Progression, Dave Roberts Says There’s No Timeline to Start Facing Hitters

The Los Angeles Dodgers have decided to slow-play Shohei Ohtani’s throwing program.

Ohtani hasn’t thrown a bullpen since Feb. 25, and won’t face live hitters until sometime after the team gets back from Japan.

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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the team wanted to “slow-play” Ohtani’s pitching program as he began to ramp-up as a hitter and take live game at-bats, per Jack Harris of the LA Times.

Roberts did not provide a timeline as to when Ohtani will face live hitters.

“We just felt that to intensify the bullpens alongside of the intensity of the games (as DH) wasn’t smart, so we just wanted to kind of slow-play it,” Roberts said to reporters Thursday, via Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register.

As for when Ohtani returns as a pitcher?

“[We’re] just trying to make it a broad time to return. We just don’t know. So I think that when he’s ready … we’ll know. But I don’t want to put any kind of expectation on you guys, or Shohei.”

Roberts initially said Ohtani would return as a pitcher in May, but was hesitant to confirm that timeline on Thursday.

While it’s unclear if Ohtani suffered any sort of setback, it is clear that the Dodgers are being careful in bringing the two-way star back to his full two-way form.

So for now, the Dodgers will have Ohtani play as a DH, with the hope that he gets back to pitching sometime during the first half of the season.

Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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