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The Los Angeles Dodgers have had a devastating lack of luck with their pitching roster this season, as 15 pitchers are currently shelved on the injured list. Shohei Ohtani isn’t on the injured list, but also isn’t pitching as he continues to trend toward his debut on the mound in a Dodgers uniform.
As the hampered arms of L.A. continue to heal, Ohtani has since completed his second live batting practice session in nearly two calendar years. Manager Dave Roberts spoke on his three-time MVP working back to the mound.
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“He came out of it well, which is most important,” said manager Dave Roberts. “I think he wishes his command would have been a little bit better. But really positive day for Sho.”
Ohtani pitched last weekend against recently called-up Dodgers catching prospect Dalton Rushing, another newer call-up in Hyeseong Kim, as well as a team performance coach.
Ohtani’s most recent throwing session on Saturday was against two minor league players and Rushing, and the catching prospect spoke on what it was like to face the two-way superstar in the batter’s box.
“His stuff’s electric,” Rushing said. “The splitter’s pretty legit. But it’s really more than just that. He’s got multiple pitches that are outliers compared to other pitchers, and so obviously, that’s what makes him the player that he is.”
The most recent throwing session from Ohtani featured 29 pitches, and as the young catcher noted, the full arsenal of his fastball, sweeper, curveball, and splitter. But Roberts spoke about what further ramping up would look like for the reigning NL MVP.
“Looking (forward), you still gotta get to five or six innings,” Roberts said. “So we still got a ways to go.”
Ohtani will continue to trend towards his first MLB pitching appearance since August 2023, but until then, the plan is to still go about his process carefully and cautiously so as to get the best of the two-way star’s abilities in October.
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Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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