Shohei Ohtani has taken a significant step in his recovery from a left knee injury, throwing his first bullpen session in over three weeks on Friday at Dodger Stadium. The two-way star delivered 35 pitches, utilizing his full repertoire, a couple of hours before the Dodgers' 3-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.
"He felt encouraged," manager Dave Roberts said of Ohtani following the session. This marked a tangible advancement in his progress toward returning to the mound.
Ohtani has not made a pitching start since July 3 due to the knee injury, which initially began bothering him in mid-June. Despite a lubricant injection in his knee during the All-Star break, hoping for a swift return to the rotation, he experienced "regression" after a July 22 bullpen session. This led the Dodgers to halt all on-field throwing activities for two weeks.
Last week, Ohtani resumed pregame catch play in the outfield, completing three such sessions in recent days. Earlier this week, Roberts indicated Ohtani was nearing a bullpen session, fueling hopes for his return to pitching before the season concludes.
With the bullpen session completed, Ohtani's path back to the Dodgers' rotation is expected to become clearer. According to Roberts, his next steps will involve a few more bullpen sessions. Following those, he will need to face hitters in at least two rounds of live batting practice. After these phases, he could be ready for game action, where he would be built up inning by inning, similar to his approach last season when returning from Tommy John surgery.
"Any inning is additive," Roberts stated, especially considering the Dodgers are currently operating with a six-man rotation and are a man short in the bullpen. He added that the previous strategy "worked."
Roberts expressed confidence that if the team stays on course, Ohtani will throw another bullpen session in a couple of days. "And then if we get out of that, I think we’ll be out of the woods," he said.
Six weeks removed from his last appearance on the mound, Ohtani is now making progress in his anticipated return to pitching.