The pitching injury crisis of the Dodgers is like no other. What was once a rotation stuffed with elite arms has rapidly thinned out, turning into one of the most alarming injury crises in recent memory. You take the names like Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell, they are all now sidelined. What made things worse was that Roki Sasaki was hit with a setback too. So, where does that leave the Dodgers? You might have guessed the name, Shohei Ohtani.
Yes, all eyes inevitably turn to Shohei Ohtani, the two-way phenom whose bat has kept the offense alive. However, his pitching has remained dormant post-surgery in 2023. While for months now, we have been speculating his return to the mound, there’s a massive update that could change the entire trajectory of the Dodgers’ season.
“I would say that it’s definitely not nonzero, how about that, so I mean it’s north of zero,” the Dodgers manager, Dave Roberts, said about Ohtani. Guess what, he is talking about more than 0% chance of Ohtani returning to the mound before the All-Star break. But before you buckle up for his grand return, wait for a catch.
While Roberts expressed optimism about Ohtani’s eventual return to the mound, he emphasized that the final decision will rest with a trusted trio. Ohtani himself, the Dodgers’ medical staff, and the orthopedic surgeon who performed Ohtani’s UCL surgery. Hence, a final decision is still awaited. However, what’s more impressive is how Ohtani is performing in the simulated practice sessions.
For starters, Shohei Ohtani took a significant step forward on Tuesday. He threw simulated innings for the first time since his two-inning session on May 31. This marked his third live batting practice outing overall. Until now, Ohtani’s pitching work had been limited to bullpen sessions with no batters involved. Hence, this comes as the next step in his rehab.
“I thought he was good,” Roberts said. “I thought he was really good, the fastball had life, and the sweeper was really good… A really good day, three innings.”
What made the session even more encouraging was the quality of his pitches. Ohtani was reportedly throwing some sharp fastballs and effective sweepers, a promising sign as he continues his road back from UCL surgery. While the fans are eagerly waiting to see Ohtani on the mound, the Dodgers need to be careful not to affect his offensive figures. Well, we’ve got something concerning here.
Ohtani’s plate aggressiveness is expected to take a backseat
“I don’t know if there’s any correlation. He’s had to change since he started doing the lines, or is if he just kind of managing more stuff on a daily or weekly basis now.” Roberts is also skeptical if Ohtani is intentionally reducing his baserunning owing to his live bullpen sessions.
While Shohei Ohtani’s baserunning has started to take a slight backseat, he’s more than compensating with his bat. With 23 home runs already to his name, Ohtani continues to terrorize pitchers at the plate. Thus, proving he doesn’t need to swipe bags to shift momentum. However, while he’s still being selective but aggressive on the bases, it’s reasonable to expect his risk-taking on the paths to decrease once he resumes pitching duties.
So, a historic 50-50 season might be slipping off the radar, but then again, when the name is Shohei Ohtani, it’s always dangerous to say never. Let’s see how Ohtani’s pitching timeline goes hereon, and whether there’s any adverse impact coming for the team.
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