The mystery surrounding the date for Shohei Ohtani to return to the mound continues, but the pitching crisis could force manager Dave Roberts to take a risk and reinstate him in the starting rotation for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Dodgers are no longer the best team in Major League Baseball, having been overtaken by the Detroit Lions, who have a 30-16 record, but the blue and white are good enough to share the top spot in the National League with the New York Mets, with a 29-17 mark.
Despite having a hospital, mainly in the pitching staff, with the loss of three of their starters Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Roki Sasaki, as well as one of their star closers, Blake Treinen, the Dodgers have managed to resolve and stay at the top, but they could contemplate bringing forward the process for the debut as a Dodger of Shohei Ohtani on the mound.
Ohtani throws 50-pitch bullpen session
Ohtani has thrown several bullpen sessions, the last one was this Saturday before the loss to his former team Los Angeles Angels, a duel in which Clayton Kershaw reappeared with an obvious lack of rhythm, which rather than calming the anxiety for the return of the Japanese, could accelerate it.
The 50 pitches Ohtani threw are a step up in his throwing program, and it was an increase from his previous bullpen session of 35 pitches, although he only tried one outing in which he simulated two innings of 25 pitches without throwing a slider.
The last time Ohtani pitched in a Major League game was on August 23, 2023, with the Angels, then he underwent surgery on his right elbow on September 19, 2023, and since joining the Dodgers he has only participated as a designated hitter, and his performance was superior, to the point of inaugurating the 50-50 club in home runs and stolen bases.
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