LOS ANGELES — A timeline for Shohei Ohtani’s long-awaited return to the mound is starting to take form.
Ohtani is more likely to resume pitching in Main League video games someday in Might, Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts mentioned Saturday at DodgerFest.
“It is perhaps earlier,” Roberts added, “however I feel that the very first thing I mentioned earlier this offseason was it wasn’t going to be within the Japan Sequence. … As soon as he will get to Spring Coaching and we see the place the throwing program is, I feel we’ll simply go from there.”
Ohtani, who didn’t pitch in any respect throughout his first season with the Dodgers as he recovered from a 2023 UCL restore process on his proper elbow, continues to be working his method again from present process left shoulder surgical procedure in November. The three-time MVP started his offseason throwing program in December, and Roberts mentioned then that it was “most unlikely” that Ohtani would pitch through the group’s season-opening sequence in opposition to the Cubs in Tokyo.
Ohtani mentioned he has additionally resumed hitting and total feels “on schedule” in his rehab. He and the Dodgers have an abridged Spring Coaching for the second straight 12 months because of the Tokyo Sequence, to not point out an offseason that has additionally been shorter than common due to their World Sequence championship.
“The offseason was quick. It really felt quick as effectively,” Ohtani mentioned via interpreter Will Ireton. “And clearly, with the surgical procedure, it was even shorter.”
On the hitting aspect, the Dodgers stay inspired that Ohtani injured his again shoulder — on his non-throwing arm — moderately than his lead shoulder. Roberts is inspired by how Ohtani has progressed.
“I noticed some movies lately,” Roberts mentioned, “and also you simply wouldn’t assume that there was any surgical procedure this previous winter.”
There are some questions surrounding how efficient Ohtani might be in his return to pitching. His 2023 UCL restore was his second main elbow surgical procedure; he additionally underwent Tommy John surgical procedure as a rookie in 2018.
When he first returned to the mound after recovering from Tommy John surgical procedure, Ohtani made solely two begins in 2020. The subsequent 12 months, although, Ohtani was nearly again to regular as a pitcher, posting a 3.18 ERA throughout 23 begins in ’21.
For a number of causes, Ohtani’s first restoration from main elbow surgical procedure could not reveal a lot about how he’ll recuperate from the second. The 2020 season was each shortened and delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the timeline for gamers to ramp up was totally different with “Summer season Camp” changing Spring Coaching.
Past that, it’s harder to return again from a second main elbow surgical procedure — and the shoulder process throws one other variable into an already complicated equation.
That mentioned, there’s a lot about Ohtani and his two-way superstardom that has been unprecedented on the Main League degree. The Dodgers imagine that that gained’t change at the same time as he battles again from these accidents.
“I feel his shoulder goes to be in a great place,” mentioned Freddie Freeman, who can be rehabbing from offseason surgical procedure heading into Spring Coaching. “I imply, he’s obtained two arms that he’s rehabbing proper now, however I feel Shohei’s going to be Shohei.”
