The Los Angeles Dodgers announced an important update regarding when Shohei Ohtani’s next start as a pitcher will happen. Manager Dave Roberts told the California Post‘s Jack Harris that Ohtani is trending toward a start on Sunday against the Detroit Tigers.
They’ll see how his ‘pen goes, but he’s definitely trending toward starting Sunday
The Dodgers will have Ohtani throw a bullpen session on Friday, in anticipation of that start. If that goes well, then the two-way star should make his return on the mound. He’ll likely pitch just the first inning, then turn it over to the bullpen.
Ohtani has been dealing with knee and biceps injuries this season. The biceps injury crept up as a compensation injury for the knee. It’s held Ohtani out from pitching since July 3. He’s been operating exclusively as a hitter in the meantime.
As a pitcher, he’s made 14 starts. He’s 9-5 with a 1.79 ERA across 85.2 innings, with a 27.9% strikeout rate. 12 of his 14 starts were quality starts, in which he completed six innings and allowed three earned runs or fewer.
Ohtani had been in the conversation for the National League Cy Young Award, as well as the prohibitive favorite for MVP, before his injury issues.
What the Latest Shohei Ohtani News Means for the Dodgers
GettyShohei Ohtani is expected to make his next start against the Detroit Tigers. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Naturally, starting Shohei Ohtani against the Tigers conflicts with Tyler Glasnow’s next expected start. Glasnow just returned from the injured list in their series against the Braves.
Harris reports the plan for the right-hander is to pitch on Sunday, regardless. Glasnow will either pitch as the bulk arm behind Ohtani or start the game in case the two-way star’s bullpen doesn’t go well.
Due to the rules governing the designated hitter, the Dodgers have to start Ohtani when he pitches. Otherwise, they’d lose the DH for the game once he gets on the mound. So from a lineup standpoint, it makes more sense to use him as an opener.
Given that it’ll take some time to build him up, the club can afford to run a piggyback system until Ohtani reaches three-plus innings. In the games he doesn’t start, he’ll still remain their designated hitter.
Glasnow will pitch the first game behind Ohtani. But the team could explore other potential bulk arms. Left-handers Eric Lauer and Justin Wrobleski make a lot of sense, especially once the latter returns from injury.
They could also deploy Roki Sasaki in that role, but he may head toward a more traditional relief role down the stretch. The Dodgers made the same move last year, to varying levels of success.
Dodgers Rotation Situation in Season’s Final Month
GettyThe Dodgers rotation got a huge boost when Tyler Glasnow returned from injury. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
With Shohei Ohtani’s return imminent, the Dodgers’ rotation is getting healthier. In addition to Glasnow, left-hander Blake Snell returned from arthroscopic elbow surgery this month.
The club also made themselves the prohibitive favorite after landing Tarik Skubal at the trade deadline. The Dodgers are hoping their star-studded rotation carries them through the postseason for the third straight year.
There will be some tough choices regarding the rotation. Since Ohtani is returning to the mound, he’s in play for one rotation spot. The other three starters they’ll likely use will be Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, and Tarik Skubal.
For the regular season, they could use Tyler Glasnow and Roki Sasaki as their fifth and sixth starters. But both starters are likely going for a relief role in the postseason.
Dodgers Reveal Major Shohei Ohtani Pitching Update During Braves Series