The Los Angeles Dodgers returned Shohei Ohtani to their batting order on Labor Day Monday.
He had missed the past four games with a variety of ailments, but the small stretch of games that Ohtani missed was largely because he had been struggling at the plate and needed a day or two off his feet.
Well, manager Dave Roberts gave Ohtani four days off, and he looks to get the bat going against the Cincinnati Reds in a new series this week (which has already started).
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Dave Roberts Gives Latest Update on Shohei Ohtani… the Pitcher
Per Dave Roberts, there is no timetable for Shohei Ohtani’s return to the mound.
Ohtani was supposed to make a brief start last weekend (against the Tigers), but then it was revealed that Ohtani has not been ramped up enough to make a pitching outing.
On Monday, before the Reds series began, manager Dave Roberts spoke with the media about Ohtani’s pitching status.
MLBTR.com’s Mark Polishuk did a great job of summarizing that Shohei Ohtani is unlikely to pitch again this season:
“Ohtani is hitting leadoff as the Dodgers’ designated hitter in today’s lineup against the Reds, Roberts told SportsNet LA and other media. Roberts again declined to totally rule Ohtani out as a pitcher, but “he’s not going to be on the mound in the foreseeable future” and “we have no timetable for when he’s gonna pick up a baseball.”
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Reactions to Shohei Ohtani’s Pitching Development
Shohei Ohtani has been dealing with two main lingering injuries (knee, biceps), which has kept him from progressing in his pitching development.
It will be interesting to see if Ohtani tries to ramp up at all in an attempt to make a very brief outing in the MLB playoffs for the Dodgers,
LA doesn’t need Ohtani to be a starter because its rotation is already loaded, but if Ohtani could be built up enough to make a one-inning appearance out of the bullpen, that may benefit the team; as of now, it sounds like Ohtani will likely be shut down from throwing soon.
The biggest thing for the Dodgers is that Ohtani is healthy enough to DH for the remainder of the season and into October.
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Los Angeles Dodgers Manager Provides Latest Update on Shohei Ohtani’s Pitching Status