The question of when Shohei Ohtani will be allowed to pitch in a game for the Dodgers has been looming for months.
He was throwing off a mound before games last October, leading one insider to believe the two-way star was ready to pitch in a postseason game. Yet the Dodgers have been careful with their $700 million investment, to the point of frustration for fans who would rather see a pitcher with a career 3.14 ERA than a rotating cast of Triple-A replacements and bullpen games.
Fourteen different pitchers have started a game for the Dodgers in the first 69 games of the season; by contrast, the Angels have only used five starters.
Ohtani might be the 15th, but not this week. Although there’s a non-zero chance he returns before the All-Star break in July, manager Dave Roberts said, the best bet would see Ohtani return after the midsummer classic, July 15 in Atlanta.
Not that Roberts wouldn’t love to see Ohtani pitching in games sooner.
“It’s tempting,” Roberts said, via Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times. “I’m sure Shohei feels tempted to just kind of rip the Band-Aid off and get into a big league game. But I think we’re doing a good job of being patient. And truth be told, I don’t think anyone knows the right time to get him in a big league game. We’re still being very careful, I guess.”
The “band aid,” in this case, is actually the internal brace procedure Ohtani underwent in September 2023 — his second major elbow surgery in seven years since arriving in the United States. Besides Ohtani’s stamina, the Dodgers must be mindful of the effectiveness of his stuff against major league hitters.
That’s no sure thing for pitchers who have undergone multiple elbow surgeries. So far, Ohtani has shown encouraging signs during his rehabilitation process.
On Tuesday, before the Dodgers’ game against the Padres in San Diego, Ohtani threw three simulated innings totaling 44 pitches and six strikeouts.
According to Alden Gonzalez of ESPN, Ohtani could return as a two or three-inning spot starter, easing his way back from injury while facing big league hitters for the first time in nearly two years.
The Dodgers can activate Ohtani the pitcher at any time. He’s already excelling as their DH, leading the National League in home runs (23), slugging (.625), OPS (1.008), runs (68) and stealing 11 bases in 15 chances.
Clearly, that decision will rest with the team’s front office and medical staff. If it were up to their manager, the Dodgers might have given into temptation already.
