ANAHEIM — The Dodgers’ first home series of the regular season later this week also will include Shohei Ohtani’s return to pitching preparations, with the right-hander scheduled to resume bullpen sessions on Saturday.
Manager Dave Roberts announced that Ohtani will throw from a bullpen mound on Saturday at Dodger Stadium after he last threw a bullpen session at spring training on Feb. 25.
“So once he gets into the ’pen on Saturday, then we’ll have a better idea of what a plan looks like,” Roberts said.
There remains no specific timetable for Ohtani to make his Dodgers debut on the mound. In the offseason, Roberts gave a rough estimate for Ohtani to begin pitching in games in mid-May, then said at the team’s fan fest in February that it could be even sooner.
May appears to be back on the table again, but it is clear the Dodgers do not want to rush the process.
Roberts was asked if getting somewhere between 18-20 starts out of Ohtani this season would be considered a win.
“We would bank that right now,” Roberts said.
Ohtani even had another flat-ground throwing session on Monday at Angel Stadium, while wearing a compression sleeve on his right arm. He went through his pitching motion while throwing to a catcher in a crouch.
“Just appreciating that it’s his second Tommy John (surgery), getting ready for a major league season with the bat (after) his left shoulder surgery, and really understanding that this is a long-term play for Shohei’s well-being also,” Roberts said.
“So we’re making sure that we are as cautious and careful as we possibly can. For 2025, the most important piece of this is having him able to do both at the end of the season and into October.”
Ohtani last pitched in a major league game on Aug. 23, 2023, when he went 1⅓ innings for the Angels against the Cincinnati Reds. He finished that season 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA in 23 starts and won the second of his three league MVP Awards. He also hit 44 home runs with a 1.066 OPS.
While only concentrating on his offense last season, Ohtani hit 54 home runs and had 59 stolen bases with a 1.036 OPS in 159 games with the Dodgers as the designated hitter.
BETTS BETTER
After saying he has not been able to hold down solid food for nearly two weeks, Roberts said shortstop Mookie Betts ate breakfast and got through a workout at Dodger Stadium on Monday.
The club is optimistic that Betts will be able to play in the Freeway Series finale on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium. There is even hope that Betts could be available for Opening Day on Thursday against the Detroit Tigers.
“He hit, took grounders, threw and kept food down,” Roberts said.
Betts said he went from 175 pounds just before the team left to Japan to 157 pounds during what was originally called a stomach virus. Smoothies were the closest thing to solid food that he had been able to keep down.
“I think it was getting to be pretty concerning because there really isn’t something to compare what he was going through,” Roberts said. “We were trying to remain positive, but it was really disconcerting.”
PREP COMPLETE
Right-hander Tyler Glasnow had his final outing before the start of the season on Monday, with his regular-season debut scheduled for next week at home against the Atlanta Braves.
A year ago, Glasnow was the Dodgers’ Opening Day starter when the team kicked off the regular season in South Korea against the San Diego Padres. He went 9-6 with a 3.49 ERA in 22 starts in his first season with the Dodgers before his year was cut short in mid-August with an elbow injury.
“I think he’s had a really good camp, very consistent and we have talked a lot about him staying athletic in his delivery,” Roberts said of Glasnow, who is entering the season after making some mechanical tweaks. “I think he just has a lot more clarity right now going into the season.”
BACK AGAIN
First baseman Freddie Freeman played consecutive games for the first time since he ended Cactus League play earlier this month by playing in four consecutive contests.
After a rib cage strain when the team was in Japan, keeping him out of the first two games of the regular season, Freeman is in line to start at first base in the home opener on Thursday.
UP NEXT
Dodgers (RHP Dustin May) at Angels (RHP Jack Kochanowicz), Tuesday, 6 p.m., SportsNet LA, FanDuel Sports Network, 570 AM, 830 AM