Dodgers' Dave Roberts Admits He's Anxious Regarding Shohei Ohtani's Pitching Ramp Up

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts expressed how he felt about two-way All-Star Shohei Ohtani's return to pitching as he works his way to returning to the mound for the first time since the 2023 season.

“The stuff looks good. It’s easy 94, 95 mph coming out of his hand. It’s a really good throw,” Roberts said. “I think we’re all anxious to see how it looks to hitters. But when he decides to ramp it up, I’m very anxious with that too. But it’s all on his schedule. It really is. When he’s going to introduce the slider to hitters, when he wants to really ramp up the velocity, it’s all between him and the doctors.”

Ohtani will remain on the same schedule he's been on with his recovery all season, with a light throwing session on Wednesdays and bullpen sessions on Saturdays. He does not plan to have a rehab assignment in the minor leagues.

On Sunday, Ohtani faced live hitters for the first time since undergoing surgery in September 2023. He threw 22 pitches over five at-bats at Citi Field.

Dodgers fans have yet to see Ohtani on the mound. His last appearance on the bump was Aug. 23, 2023 with the Angels.

He has a career 3.01 ERA, and placed fourth in American League Cy Young voting in 2022, a season in which he struck out 219 batters in just 166 innings of work while posting a career high ERA of 2.33.

Roberts said he expects Ohtani to return after the All-Star break.

Ohtani, despite his inability to pitch, is invaluable to the Dodgers and is putting together a strong case for his third consecutive MVP award. He currently leads MLB with 17 home runs and 53 runs scored, and his 128 total bases lead the National League.

He is slashing .302/.397/.643, meaning his OPS is north of 1.000 for the third consecutive season. Ohtani has a team-leading 60 hits, and slugging percentage is the second-best in the NL behind World Series MVP Freddie Freeman.

He looks to build on an impressive campaign Saturday night, when the Dodgers play their second of three games against the New York Mets and familiar foe Juan Soto. First pitch is at 4:15 p.m. PT/7:15 p.m. ET.