NEW YORK — Shohei Ohtani’s return to two-way player status will move a step closer to reality Saturday afternoon.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed Friday that Ohtani is scheduled to face hitters in a live batting practice session on Saturday. It will be Ohtani’s first time throwing to hitters since his second elbow surgery in September 2023 and a significant advancement in his throwing program.
Even if it is for a very limited number of pitches hours before game time, seeing Ohtani on a major-league mound for the first time in a Dodgers uniform will be exciting, Roberts acknowledged.
“Yeah, it will,” he said. “I think that we’ve seen the bullpens for quite some time. So to see him going out there and trying to get some major-league hitters out, I think we’re all anxious for that.”
After slowing his throwing program down early in the season, Ohtani has passed some significant markers recently. He began doing ‘up-downs’ – simulating inning breaks – during his weekly Saturday bullpen sessions two weeks ago and increased his pitch count to 50 last week (in two sets of 25).
During his flat-ground and light throwing this past week, he started throwing breaking pitches – curveballs and sliders – for the first time. Roberts wasn’t sure if Ohtani would throw those pitches during Saturday’s live BP.
“The stuff looks good. It’s easy 94, 95 mph coming out of his hand. It’s a really good throw,” Roberts said. “I think we’re all anxious to see how it looks to hitters. But when he decides to ramp it up, I’m very anxious with that too. But it’s all on his schedule. It really is. When he’s going to introduce the slider to hitters, when he wants to really ramp up the velocity, it’s all between him and the doctors.”
There is no plan to change the weekly schedule Ohtani has been on – a light throwing session on Wednesday, more intense bullpen sessions each Saturday. And the Dodgers do not plan to have Ohtani pitch on a minor-league injury-rehabilitation assignment, though MLB has carved out an exception for two-way players that would allow him to pitch in the minors and still hit for the Dodgers at the same time.
“Obviously, the build up is important. But so is him taking five at-bats in a game,” Roberts said.
Roberts acknowledged that it is “certainly possible” Ohtani’s increased workload in his pitching rehab could impact his offense. Anecdotally – after his 50-pitch bullpen session last week, he went 0 for 6 in that night’s game against the Angels.
“Shohei is very in tune with his body,” Roberts said. “But there is even a possibility where if we feel as he builds up that he’s taxed on a particular Saturday that he doesn’t play that game. I just don’t know how that works. I really don’t. But I think we should be open to whatever, however he’s feeling.”
GLASNOW PROGRESS
Right-hander Tyler Glasnow made his own progress on Friday in Los Angeles throwing off a mound for the first time since his April 27 start when he left the game after one inning and went on the injured list with shoulder soreness.
Glasnow threw fewer than 20 pitches in his first bullpen session but Roberts said the reports were positive.
“He said he felt great afterwards,” Roberts said. “Don’t know what that means with velocity. But I do know he was getting after it pretty good.”
TOUGH TIMES
Friday’s game was the first of 26 consecutive games on the Dodgers’ schedule against teams currently with winning records. They will play the Mets and New York Yankees 10 times in the next two weeks.
“Obviously playing teams that are talented, that are playing well, we’re going to be forced to play really good baseball, or consistently well, to win more than we lose,” Roberts said.
“But this is going to be a good test for us. You can’t run away from the fact that we’re playing some good teams.”
In order to survive this stretch, things need to be “buttoned up” on the pitching side, Roberts said. With 14 pitchers on the IL, the Dodgers went into Friday with a staff ERA of 4.15, 22nd in the majors. The starters’ ERA of 4.30 ranked 23rd.
“It’s certainly not easy,” he said. “With pitchers and when it goes well is when you can count on, depend on innings from certain performers. Then when you don’t have it, it certainly adds a level of complexity and difficulty.
“But honestly, our guys have really bought into the fact that whatever guys we have that night to prevent as many runs as we can to win a game and do it again the next day. I think that mindset is the honest way we manage it. I think if you look at the IL list then it becomes more daunting and discouraging.”
UP NEXT
Dodgers (RHP Tony Gonsolin, 2-0, 4.05 ERA) at Mets (LHP David Peterson, 2-2, 2.86 ERA) Saturday, 4:15 p.m., FOX, 570 AM