The Dodgers still don’t seem in a rush with Shohei Ohtani, even as he makes steady progress toward returning to a big league mound
Ohtani threw a third simulated game at Petco Park on Tuesday as he works his way back from his 2023 elbow surgery.
Despite taking an important step, Dodgers manager David Roberts didn’t want anyone to raise their expectations too high, telling reporters the chances of Ohtani pitching in a game before the All-Star break was “north of zero.”
“It’s tempting,” Roberts said. “I’m sure Shohei is tempted to just rip the Band-Aid off and get into a big league game, but I think we’re doing a good job of trying to be patient.”
During this outing, the righty from Japan threw 44 pitches in three innings of work. According to pitching coach Mark Prior, his fastball sat in the mid-90s.
By the end of the session, Ohtani had six strikeouts.
“You start getting close to 44, you start getting into the 60- and 70-pitch range, then you can start envisioning and dreaming about being in a game,” Prior told reporters, according to MLB.com. “Because then you know that he has the volume under him to go out there and at least take down multiple innings in a real game.”
This latest outing for Ohtani marks a significant increase in workload. In the last simulated game, his pitch count only reached 29.
Roberts is not going to push the superstar to the mound as quickly as possible.
“It certainly doesn’t have to be a full buildup,” Roberts told reporters, “because anything he can give us is certainly additive.”
Nevertheless, the Dodgers might need Ohtani back on the mound due to the state of their pitching staff.
Los Angeles has not had luck keeping their starters healthy this season. Right now, they have eight starting pitchers on the injured list. That has led to the Dodgers having only 316 innings recorded by starting pitchers, which is the fourth-lowest in the MLB.
Star Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and Roki Sasaki are among those on the IL.
Luckily for the Dodgers, Snell threw his first bullpen session since being injured in April, Glasnow threw his third bullpen session, and Sasaki is continuing to do pitch and catch.
If the Dodgers’ starting rotation can return to full health and add a fresh Ohtani, that could make the rotation scary again.
