The Los Angeles Dodgers have been hit hard by injuries to the pitching staff. The list of injured pitchers includes Kirby Yates, Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki, Tyler Glasnow and plenty of others.
Shohei Ohtani has yet to pitch for the Dodgers since signing a massive $700 deal prior to the 2024 season as he recovers from elbow surgery. However, Ohtani is going to make his Dodgers pitching debut at some point this season, barring any unforeseen circumstances.
On May 17, Ohtani threw 50 bullpen pitches as he continued his recovery, although he didn't throw any breaking pitches during that session.
Now, Ohtani did mix in breaking pitchers, per a new update on Tuesday from The Associated Press.
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani mixed in breaking pitches for the first time in a throwing session Tuesday. The right-hander had been limited to fastball and splitters previously as he works to return to pitching this season following elbow surgery.
It's a big step forward for Ohtani, and this update shows that his progression is going well as he hopes to return to the mound soon.
“It is progressing,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. ”I’m not sure when he’s going to take that slider from the flat ground to the bullpen, but that is progress.”
At this point, there is still no firm timeline of when Ohtani will return to the mound, although sometime around the All-Star break could be the most realistic timeframe.
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