The possibility of seeing Shohei Ohtani pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers before the season ends isn’t completely off the table.
Ohtani, who underwent elbow surgery last September, has been limited to hitting this season. However, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, in an interview with the **Los Angeles Times**, didn’t entirely rule out Ohtani making a return to the mound. “I wouldn’t say no way,” Roberts said. “I’m not going to close the door 100 percent.”
Ohtani only started throwing off a mound this past August, making a late-season return unlikely. Roberts acknowledged that while the idea is exciting, it’s still a long shot. “If I were writing a movie script, it would be a no-brainer for him to come out of rehab and throw the last pitch,” he said. “But in reality, he hasn’t thrown a high-stakes pitch in over a year, and the risk of injury just isn’t worth it.”
Despite the uncertainty, Roberts hinted that Ohtani is eager to pitch again, though his health will ultimately be the deciding factor. “Shohei is on board,” Roberts said in an interview with Sirius XM MLB Network Radio. “We’ll just have to see how it plays out.”
Ohtani has been making history in his first season with the Dodgers, hitting .292/.375/.617 with 47 home runs and 48 stolen bases, on track to become the first player in MLB history with 50 homers and 50 steals. Prior to joining the Dodgers, Ohtani posted a 3.01 ERA over 86 starts for the Angels.
With the Dodgers dealing with injuries to key starters like Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Clayton Kershaw, Ohtani’s potential two-way contributions could be valuable. Despite the injuries, the Dodgers are in a strong position, sitting atop the NL West with an 87-60 record and 15 games remaining.