For weeks, the Dodgers had to put on hold one of the facets that make Shohei Ohtani a unique player.
The Japanese player remained a fundamental part of the offense, but discomfort in his left knee and soreness in his right biceps forced the team to halt his progress as a pitcher. Now, after more than two weeks without pitching, Ohtani picked up the ball again. And that small movement could be the beginning of something much more important.
Ohtani pitches again, but without rushing
On Saturday, August 8, Ohtani resumed his throwing program by playing catch before the Dodgers’ gameagainst the Diamondbacks. The session came after a pause of more than two weeks and reached a distance of up to 90 feet (27 meters). According to Dave Roberts, Ohtani responded well and felt good after the work.
The next step is also defined: Ohtani would play catch again on Monday.
Roberts was careful when speaking about the matter. The manager explained that the process is being handled day by day and that there is still no schedule for a new bullpen session. That means the fact that Ohtani has returned to throwing does not yet amount to a return as a pitcher.
The difference is important.
Playing catch is only one of the early stages. Before returning to an opening, Ohtani will have to progressively increase the workload and show that his knee responds well at every step.
The problem was never just taking the ball again
The last time Ohtani pitched in a Major League game was on July 3. Since then, discomfort in his left knee has affected his work as a pitcher, while the team has tried to keep him available as a designated hitter. MLB currently lists his injury as left knee inflammation and right biceps discomfort.
The team had already tried to move forward with his throwing program, but a setback in the knee’s response made the Dodgers even more cautious.
That’s why, this time the goal does not seem to be to find a date and work backward. The goal is to get Ohtani to move forward without slipping back again.
And, for now, the first step went well.
The Dodgers have room to wait
There is another element that changed the landscape in Los Angeles over the past few weeks.
The Dodgers acquired Tarik Skubal, a two-time American League Cy Young winner, before the trade deadline. His arrival bolstered a rotation that is also hoping to get back Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow. MLB even noted that the addition of Skubal helped reduce some of the uncertainty surrounding Ohtani’s situation as a pitcher.
That does not mean the Dodgers have stopped counting on Ohtani as a pitcher.
On the contrary: MLB still sees September as the expectation for his return to the mound. But the team now has more alternatives to build its rotation while Ohtani completes his recovery.
And that can be important, because Ohtani doesn’t need to return tomorrow.
He needs to return when his body is ready to do so.
Now begins the most delicate part
Ohtani’s return is still far from being assured.
First he will have to continue with the catch program. Then more demanding sessions will come, the return to the mound and, eventually, the possibility of facing batters again.
Each stage will depend on how his knee responds.
That is why the news these days is not that Ohtani already has a return date.
It’s just that, after weeks of waiting, it finally started again.
The ball was back in his hands.
Now the Dodgers will have to figure out how far the comeback can go without putting it on hold again.
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