Shohei Ohtani’s return to the mound this season remains in question with the two-way star dealing with lingering arm and knee discomfort following a short throwing session in the bullpen Friday.
Multiple reports during the week indicated that Ohtani could return to the mound for a short start Sunday at Detroit after not pitching since July 3. Ohtani has been dealing with both a sore left knee and a sore right biceps.
Not only is Ohtani’s outing on Sunday in jeopardy, the team’s plans for getting him on the mound in advance of another October playoff appearance are in limbo.
“I don’t think he’s 100%,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters Saturday when asked how Ohtani came out of Friday’s bullpen.
Complicating the situation is that Ohtani is the team’s key run producer at the top of the batting order. Further knee or biceps discomfort from pitching could jeopardize Ohtani’s ability to participate down the stretch as a hitter.
“Obviously, where we’re at right now with the pitching, the starting pitching certainly being a strength, his value offensively is hugely important, and so we can’t compromise that in any fashion,” Roberts said. “So, if throwing potentially cuts into that, that’s not worth the squeeze. (I am) very, very bullish on making sure we don’t compromise the hitting.”
Ohtani was among the National League Cy Young Award contenders in the first half of the season by going 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA in 14 starts while pitching in a six-man rotation. On offense, he was batting .283 with 30 home runs and 80 RBIs in 125 games entering Saturday afternoon’s contest against the Tigers.
The two-time defending World Series champions started the day with the second-best record in the major leagues at 81-54, three games behind the Milwaukee Brewers.
–Field Level Media
