Shohei Ohtani was limited to a designated hitter role in his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers while recovering from a second right elbow surgery, but remains on track to return to the mound this year.
Ohtani reported to Camelback Ranch for the start of Spring Training and has been able to continue throwing from flat ground. He also hit off a tee and participated in batting practice as the recovery from offseason left shoulder surgery continues.
As Ohtani continues to pursue a comeback to the mound, he is planning to throw his first bullpen session of the spring this weekend, via Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic:
The reigning National League MVP said Wednesday he expects to throw his first bullpen session of spring training at some point this weekend, a key step that will begin to lay out Ohtani’s path back to the mound at some point in May — potentially sooner.
Ohtani added that he likely won’t throw with max effort during his first time getting off the mound:
When Ohtani does throw off a mound this weekend, he said, “It’s gonna be more about touching the slope. I’m not sure what my intensity is going to be.”
Ohtani is not expected to pitch in a Cactus League game, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts believes he could be back on a Major League mound by May, if not sooner.
“I think that’s about right, and it might be earlier,” Roberts recently said.
“The first thing I said earlier this offseason was it’s not going to be in the Japan Series. He’s not going to be pitching there, but once he gets to Spring Training and we see where the throwing program is, I think we’ll just go from there.”
The Dodgers believe that delaying Ohtani’s return until May will help avoid shutting him down during the middle of the season.
Shohei Ohtani expected to be ready for Tokyo Series
Ohtani has already been ruled out from potentially pitching during the Tokyo Series, but the expectation is that he serve as the Dodgers’ designated hitter in both games against the Chicago Cubs.
Roberts recently suggested that both Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki will likely pitch at the Tokyo Dome. Yamamoto is the leading candidate to start Opening Day, while Sasaki could be bumped to an exhibition game if he struggles in the spring.
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