The Los Angeles Dodgers have one of the most talented pitching rotations in MLB.
However, they haven’t stayed fully healthy all season. While they welcomed Tarik Skubal into the group over the last week, they’re still without Tyler Glasnow, Shohei Ohtani and Blake Snell.
On a positive note, Snell is set to make his return start on Tuesday. As for Ohtani, a major update emerged Saturday night about his lingering knee injury.
Injury Update Emerges on Ohtani
Ohtani has remained in the lineup as a hitter but hasn’t pitched since June 22. However, a return could be in the works.
According to Dodgers reporter Kirsten Watson, Ohtani is set to throw a bullpen session next week. That will mark one of the first steps toward his return to the mound.
This doesn’t mean he’ll return for the Dodgers next week. If all goes well, however, he’ll then ramp up into the next phase of the process.
Ohtani is reportedly feeling good regarding both his biceps and knee issues
Shohei Ohtani will be pitching from the mound next week, per @kirsten_watson.
Given that the Dodgers will be back at home, it makes sense that Ohtani will see how things go with a bullpen session.
He is reportedly feeling good in terms of the bicep and knee.
This is great… pic.twitter.com/SXqD3ak5Bt
— Nelson Espinal (@nelson__espinal) August 9, 2026
Ohtani’s Personal Update This Week
Earlier this week, Ohtani spoke about his injury and revealed that he feels like it’s getting better each day.
“It’s getting pretty good day by day,” Ohtani said through interpreter. “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 want to make sure we’re headed in the right direction and making sure we’re taking the right steps.”
Dodgers Potential Rotation
The goal is ultimately for the Dodgers to have their postseason rotation fully ramped up by mid-September.
With Snell returning, Ohtani potentially moving toward a return and Glasnow not far behind, that could become a reality.
There’s a possibility the Dodgers could have a five-man rotation down the stretch featuring Skubal, Ohtani, Snell, Glasnow and ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Major Injury Update Emerges on Shohei Ohtani’s Pitching Status: Report