Latest Shohei Ohtani pitching update has a ‘slider’ twist

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Dave Roberts are waiting for the return of the majority of their pitching staff from the injured list. Shohei Ohtani is inching closer to his return to help pick up Tyler Glasnow’s slack after his injury. However, he still isn’t throwing one of his main pitching as he works to return to the starting rotation alongside Yoshinobu Yamamoto and others.

Ohtani hasn’t taken the mound since 2023, but Roberts is willing to wait for him to make his Dodgers pitching debut. Los Angeles fans got mixed news about their superstar’s recovery on Saturday. He threw a 35 pitch bullpen, but still isn’t throwing his slider, according to Dodgers beat writer Bill Plunkett.

Fans in Los Angeles are enjoying another great offensive season from the reigning National League MVP. Ohtani is as dominant as ever at the plate, but his pitching recovery looms as one of the biggest storylines of the season for the Dodgers. The team is dealing with really bad injury luck amongst their starters. They did get some good news when Tony Gonsolin made his return for Los Angeles after missing a year.

Glasnow, Ohtani, Blake Snell, and Clayton Kershaw are all premier talents when they are healthy. However, the team is far from whole right now. Ohtani’s increased intensity bullpen is good news, though.

Luckily for the Dodgers, Yamamoto is a Cy Young candidate who is holding the rotation together as his teammates recover. Looking at Los Angeles season on paper, it is tough to understand how the team isn’t struggling to win games.

The Dodgers are one of the NL’s best teams despite their injuries. Their star-studded offense has more than made up for their pitchers being out after one month. Los Angeles wants to go back-to-back this season, and should only get better once Ohtani and others return.