PHILADELPHIA — Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani could be back on a pitcher’s mound later this week, though the team has not set a firm date for his return to the starting rotation.
Ohtani had been slated to take the mound against the Philadelphia Phillies in the final game of a three-game series on Wednesday. However, left knee irritation — the same issue that kept him out of last week’s All-Star Game — forced the team to pull him from that scheduled appearance.
The four-time MVP last took the mound on July 3. He has since received a lubricant injection in the troublesome knee. Notably, the knee issue does not affect him at the plate, only when pitching.
Manager Dave Roberts clarified that the injection, the decision to skip the All-Star Game, and the scratched start are not signs that the condition is getting worse — rather, that it simply has “not gotten better.”
“All that stuff is trying to give us the best chance to be out of the woods entirely,” Roberts told reporters before Monday’s game against Philadelphia.
Roberts indicated Ohtani could attempt to throw off a mound on Thursday or Friday. The Dodgers are scheduled to visit the White House on Thursday, which is an off day, before opening a three-game road series against the New York Mets on Friday.
When asked whether Ohtani might rejoin the rotation as soon as next week, Roberts was noncommittal. “I don’t know. He’s got to play catch again and then we’ll see,” the manager said.
Despite Ohtani’s absence from the mound, the two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers continue to dominate the league, posting the best record in Major League Baseball at 63-37. They hold an 11-and-a-half-game advantage in the NL West.
