Shohei Ohtani, the remarkable two-way player for the Los Angeles Dodgers, is showing promising signs of recovery as he prepares to rejoin the pitching rotation.
On Friday, Ohtani stepped onto the mound for his first bullpen session in almost a month, marking a crucial milestone in his comeback journey. According to manager Dave Roberts, the next phases for Ohtani include another bullpen workout, followed by facing live hitters in batting practice, provided everything progresses smoothly.
“Then,” Roberts confidently stated, “I would expect him back in a major league game.”
Before his pause, Ohtani was delivering an extraordinary performance reminiscent of a Cy Young contender, boasting a remarkable 1.79 ERA with 95 strikeouts over 85.2 innings this season. Unfortunately, a combination of knee and biceps injuries interrupted his impressive streak, temporarily sidelining his dual-threat capabilities.
If everything continues on a positive trajectory, it seems likely that Ohtani will be ready to make his return to the rotation in the coming weeks.
While the rotation certainly misses Ohtani, his absence has also caused problems for the Dodgers bullpen. The overtaxed unit has gone from eight to seven relievers, a factor in the recent poor performance from Dodgers relievers.
Ohtani is not the only Los Angeles starter nearing a return, though. Also on Saturday, Roberts shared that Tyler Glasnow will require just one more rehab start before re-joining the rotation. Glasnow looked dominant in his most recent triple-A start.
Ohtani, the pitcher, hasn’t made a start for the Dodgers since July 3. But Ohtani, the hitter, has continued grinding.
The Dodgers two-way star is hitting .290 with 27 home runs, 74 RBIs and a .930 OPS. There have been several questions surrounding Ohtani’s performance at the plate in 2026, particularly surrounding the taxing workload of a dominant pitcher.
Though Ohtani’s offensive numbers haven’t been as strong as his first two seasons with the Dodgers, his success as a two-way star has put him at the forefront of the MVP race.