Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani hasn’t pitched since July 3, and isn’t planning on rushing his recovery.
Ohtani, prior to his knee injury, posted a 1.79 ERA through 14 starts this season, striking out 95 batters in 85.2 innings pitches, and firmly inserted himself into the NL Cy Young award race. He has undergone some treatment for his knee, receiving a lubricant injection over the All-Star break, but paused his progression due to lingering discomfort.
The reigning MVP is still constantly improving in his recovery, though he doesn’t have a concrete timeline for when he’ll make a pitching return.
“(My knee) is getting pretty good day by day,” Ohtani said. “It’s hard to tell at this point what the schedule is going to look like. First I need to do plyos, then go into long toss, then go into a bullpen progression. Rather than rush the progression of this, I would rather make sure we’re headed in the right direction. But making sure we’re taking the right steps.”
Ohtani missed time due to his knee injury as recently as last week, sitting out for July 30th’s game against the Seattle Mariners following what Manager Dave Roberts simply described as “treatment.” He still has nearly two months before the postseason begins, and will hope to return to the Dodgers before then as they look to secure a third consecutive championship.
How Will the Dodgers Deal With Ohtani’s Absence?
The Dodgers’ surplus of starting pitching allows Ohtani to be careful with his recovery, and their recent acquisitions are sure to assist in taking on some of the load Ohtani left behind. Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell are both on their rehab assignments at the moment, and Gavin Stone, who has been out all season, is also beginning his rehab with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday.
Additionally, they acquired two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal at the deadline, further strengthening the best rotation in baseball, and stashed All-Star starter Kris Bubic—who is currently on the 60-day injured list—as well.
Currently, the Dodgers’ rotation consists of a five man rotation of Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki, Eric Lauer and Justin Wrobleski.
With so many starters soon to be available, the Dodgers are sure to be able to hold out until Ohtani makes his return to the mound.
