Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had another positive update on Shohei Ohtani the pitcher following his three inning simulated game on Tuesday at Petco Park.
Roberts and pitching coach Mark Prior were very impressed with Ohtani, who threw 44 pitches and generated 15 whiffs and six strikeouts against minor leaguers.
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Roberts even said the chances of Ohtani returning before the All-Star break are “north of zero,” per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, indicating there’s a possibility he makes his two-way debut before the All-Star break in mid-July.
Ohtani is ramping up rather quickly now, providing optimism for his return timeline. The Dodgers would likely want to ramp him up to at least five innings before considering bringing him back. At this rate, though, he could be ready to return by the beginning of July, assuming there are no setbacks.
The Dodgers have said they won’t rush Ohtani back even with their rash of pitcher injuries. Nevertheless, if Ohtani is ready to go, the team won’t prevent him from returning to a rotation that desperately needs the help.
Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Roki Sasaki are all members of the Opening Day rotation currently shelved on the injured list. Tony Gonsolin is also back on the IL with an elbow injury, giving the Dodgers just three healthy starters in Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dustin May and Clayton Kershaw. Justin Wrobleski and Matt Sauer appear to be filling in for now.
It remains to be seen when Ohtani pitches next as this week’s outing got pushed back to Tuesday following the bad weather/day games in St. Louis and then Ohtani getting hit by a pitch on Sunday.
It would make sense for Ohtani’s next throwing session to be sometime early next week during the team’s series against the Padres at Dodger Stadium.
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Photo Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
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