Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani took another step forward in his recovery on Tuesday, throwing his second bullpen spring training session in Glendale, Arizona. The two-way sensation is working his way back to the mound after undergoing elbow surgery in 2023, which limited him to hitting only last season.

Ohtani’s latest bullpen session comes just a few days after his first one on Saturday, marking steady progress in his rehabilitation. The 30-year-old right-hander hopes to return to pitching at some point in the 2025 season, his first with the Dodgers after signing a record-breaking contract in the 2024 offseason.

While he could not take the mound last season, his bat more than made up for it. He won his third MVP award and became the first player in MLB history to hit 54 home runs while stealing 59 bases in a single season.

Beyond his elbow recovery, Ohtani also manages a partially torn labrum in his left shoulder, which he suffered while sliding into second base during the Dodgers’ World Series run. Despite these setbacks, he remains optimistic about resuming his two-way dominance.

Ohtani has a career 38-19 record as a pitcher with a 3.01 ERA and 608 strikeouts over 481 2/3 innings. Before his injury in 2023, he was 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA and 167 strikeouts in 132 innings. If he can regain strength, he’ll bolster an already formidable Dodgers rotation featuring Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki, Blake Snell, and Tyler Glasnow.

With his second bullpen session complete, all eyes will be on Ohtani’s progress as he inches closer to a long-awaited return to the mound.