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Shohei Ohtani is scheduled to face live hitters for the first time since 2023 ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ game against the New York Mets on Sunday.

It is the next step in Ohtani’s recovery from the right ulnar collateral ligament surgery he underwent in the fall of 2023. He has yet to pitch for the Dodgers since signing a 10-year, $700 million free agent deal ahead of the 2024 season.

Ohtani recently added sliders and curveballs into his bullpen sessions to go along with his fastball. Manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani is reaching 95 mph with his fastball and his “stuff looks good.”

Ohtani will throw to teammates at Citi Field Sunday morning, and Roberts said the team is taking things a step at a time and at Ohtani’s pace.

He will not return to the mound before the All-Star break.

“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 [to see] that, too,” Roberts said. “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.”

Unlike other pitchers getting closer to a return to the mound, the Dodgers don’t have the luxury of sending their leadoff hitter and reigning National League Most Valuable Player to the minors for a rehab assignment. Instead, he will throw in simulated games.

Ohtani, 30, is tied for the lead in the majors with 17 home runs and is hitting .302 with 31 RBIs from the designated hitter spot. Last season, he led the National League in home runs (54) and RBIs (130) and became the first player to steal 50 bases and homer 50 times.

As a pitcher over five seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, he was 38-10 with a 3.01 ERA in 86 starts. Over 481 2/3 innings, he struck out 608 batters.

He finished fourth in the American League Cy Young Award voting in 2022, sandwiched between two AL MVP wins.

–Field Level Media