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Dodgers Shohei Ohtani Breaks Silence After First Live Bullpen Session

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matthew Sullivan | Last updated May 26, 2025 12:45 PM ET

Shohei Ohtani's return to the mound is one of the most intriguing storylines in baseball. With the Los Angeles Dodgers carefully taking his road to recovery, his first live bullpen session drew much attention.

Following the first time facing live hitters, Ohtani spoke about his return to the mound. The Dodgers Bleed Los Podcast Network on YouTube shared Ohtani's comments after the New York Mets game and his live bullpen session.

"Just felt really good overall," Ohtani said through an interpreter. "Just looking at the overall execution, it was a really good first step, and I'm looking forward to the next one."

Ohtani impressed during his first outing, and with him confirming he felt good afterwards, the Dodgers can continue progressing him through the recovery process. Not only did Ohtani feel good, but he also looked good, especially regarding his velocity.

"I am aware that I do throw a little harder when there's a hitter in the box," Ohtani added through an interpreter. "I try to keep it 93, 94 [MPH], but I know I was touching 96 and 97, which I wanted to not do. But it's a good sign that, you know, I could hit that."

In his first live bullpen session, facing batters in the box, Ohtani saw his velocity up a few ticks more than he'd like. The velocity being close to MLB-ready is an excellent sign that Ohtani is on the road to recovery.

Going forward, Ohtani also expressed how he felt and where he stands in his recovery process.

"I feel pretty confident this way of going about rehabbing," Ohtani said. "I've done this before previously, and so as long as I'm getting the pitch count and the intensity in, I feel pretty good about being well-prepared."

Previously, Ohtani went through a similar recovery after getting injured in the 2018 season. While it's not the same issue, Ohtani's experience in recovering from injury should help him in the recovery process.

He's getting close to making his Dodgers pitching debut. But in the meantime, Ohtani feels confident in his recovery, and his performance in his first live bullpen session proved it.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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