Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani will play catch once again ahead of Monday’s game against the Kansas City Royals, per Fabian Ardaya.
Ohtani played catch Saturday ahead of the Dodgers’ 2-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, marking a step in the right direction after the Dodgers shut him down from pitching activity following a bullpen where he felt some discomfort in his knee two weeks ago.
Manager Dave Roberts didn’t specify an exact date for when Ohtani could throw a bullpen, saying the Dodgers are taking things “day by day.”
Playing catch is the second of three steps Ohtani laid out for himself as he looks to return from pitching, with the final step being regular bullpen sessions. The reigning MVP isn’t looking to rush the process, though.
“(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.”
When was the last time Ohtani pitched?
Ohtani’s last start came against the San Diego Padres on July 3, where he threw six innings and allowed three earned runs while striking out nine batters.
The right-hander went down with knee inflammation shortly after, leading the Dodgers to withhold him from the All-Star Game so he could receive a lubricant injection.
Prior to his injury, Ohtani had built a strong case for his first Cy Young award, posting a 1.79 ERA through 85.2 innings pitched while striking out 95 batters across his 14 starts on the season.
While his recovery is taking longer than expected, the Dodgers won’t have to rush Ohtani back, as they have Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow on the road to recovery and also brought in some reinforcements at the deadline.
Glasnow started his rehab assignment in Single-A last week after going down with a back injury early in May, and Snell will start on Tuesday against the Royals. Tarik Skubal also fills a spot in the rotation after his blockbuster move from the Detroit Tigers, and Kris Bubic is sure to take up a spot once he returns from injury as well.
