Dodgers In Holding Pattern With Shohei Ohtani’s Throwing Progression

Shohei Ohtani appeared to be trending toward a return to the mound on Sunday, but he won’t pitch against the Detroit Tigers due to lingering left knee and right bicep issues. Tyler Glasnow will instead start for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the series finale at Comerica Park.

Ohtani threw live batting practice against Will Smith last weekend and followed that with a bullpen session before the series opener against the Tigers. However, it was only an estimated 20 pitches, which is fewer than what Ohtani typically throws in a bullpen.

“I think that just in total, Sho hasn’t come out of it well,” manager Dave Roberts said on SportsNet LA after the Dodgers’ 2-1 walk-off loss to the Tigers. “The arm, the knee. If any pitcher was feeling like this, we wouldn’t run him out there. So that’s where we’re at.”

Roberts stopped short of giving a target date for Ohtani’s next start but isn’t ready to rule out a potential return later in the season.

“I don’t think we’ve made that decision yet,” Roberts said when asked if Ohtani will be shut down again. “For us, take [Sunday] off the table, let’s get back to L.A., let’s kind of figure out where his body is at and then go from there.”

Roberts added that this is less of a regression for Ohtani and more a matter of him not being back to full health yet.

“You know, I don’t even know if it’s a setback in the sense that it hasn’t been 100%,” Roberts began. “So you’re hoping that each day it gets a little bit better and closer, and once we have to make a decision, it just is not there. So I wouldn’t even classify it as a setback.”

Shohei Ohtani’s injury timeline

Ohtani hasn’t pitched in a game since completing six innings and throwing a season-high 110 pitches against the San Diego Padres on July 3. He was then scratched from his next scheduled start before being removed from the rotation indefinitely due to continued left knee trouble.

Ohtani received an Orthovisc injection during the All-Star break and was shut down from throwing for multiple weeks. He later suffered a small setback after a bullpen session at Citizens Bank Park and wasn’t seen playing catch on the field until more than two weeks later.

As for the right bicep, the two-way star said at the end of July it was not 100%. He has experienced discomfort in that area on several occasions this season, but Roberts previously downplayed the severity of the issue.