NEW YORK – Shohei Ohtani is getting closer to returning to the Dodgers’ pitching rotation – but only he might know how close.
Ohtani threw a bullpen session in Philadelphia on Wednesday and is expected to throw another one on Saturday at Citi Field. But Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that is not a sign that Ohtani will pitch next week.
“Probably not,” Roberts said after a long pause. “That’s too early. I feel good that it won’t be next week.”
Deciding when to return Ohtani to two-way status has to be a flexible process, Roberts said.
“Honestly, I think it’s just to be fluid with Shohei,” Roberts said of the approach. “The bullpen went well (on Wednesday) and today he feels good. It’s all kind of – if he feels good tomorrow to then throw the ‘pen and if he doesn’t then we’ll kick it.
“I think that’s the beauty of where we’re at right now. We’re not going to push him. There’s constant conversation going on each day. But the main thing is with Shohei and this pitching thing is to remain nimble.”
Ohtani has not pitched in a game since July 3 – a three-week break (and counting) to let the irritation in his left knee dissipate. Ohtani had been playing catch on flat ground. But Wednesday’s bullpen session was the first test of how his knee would react to the slope of the pitcher’s mound.
“We didn’t even talk about that,” Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior said on Wednesday. “(I) just said, ‘How did you feel throwing?’ He said it felt great.”
Not pitching in a game for three weeks probably doesn’t feel great for Ohtani. Roberts acknowledged that he can tell Ohtani is anxious to get back on the mound in a game.
“Yes – but I still think he is very honest with us about how he’s feeling and we’re aligned with that,” he said. “Every player wants to get back out there and do what they do. But I think he understands that it’s not about July, it’s about October. We’ve already taken a lot of time to get him back to full health so we’re not going to start (him in a game) earlier than we need to.”
HEALTH CARE
Left-hander Blake Snell made his second rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City Friday night. Before the game, Roberts said “It would be helpful” if Snell could get through three innings. He almost made it, going 2⅔ while allowing a run on two hits and striking out three. He threw 32 pitches in 1⅓ innings in his first rehab start and 49 Friday night.
Snell is returning from surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow in May. He is likely to make at least three more starts in the minors before rejoining the Dodgers’ rotation.
“He’s working hard. He’s anxious to get back,” Roberts said. “But there are some markers that he needs to check. … Just building up – three innings, four innings, five innings.”
According to Roberts, right-hander Tyler Glasnow was scheduled to throw to hitters back in Los Angeles on Friday, a significant step forward in his recovery.
Right-hander Edwin Diaz appeared in games on back-to-back days Wednesday and Thursday for OKC, the last test of his elbow before rejoining the Dodgers next week. He is expected to make one more rehab appearance on Sunday.
“He came out of the back-to-back well,” Roberts said. “We talked about him flying across the country (for the weekend series in New York) doesn’t make a lot of sense. So I think he’s supposed to pitch on Sunday and then if that goes well he should be back with us when we get back (to Los Angeles) on Tuesday.”
NO COMMENT
Reliever Edgardo Henriquez declined to comment when asked about his absence from the team during Thursday’s White House visit. Henriquez and Mookie Betts were the only members of the 2025 championship team currently on the Dodgers’ active roster who did not attend.
UP NEXT
Dodgers (RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 10-6, 2.78 ERA) at Mets (RHP Nolan McLean, 7-6, 3.34 ERA), Saturday, 4:15 p.m., FOX, 570 AM