Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani said Tuesday that right biceps discomfort and a left knee recovery have delayed his return to pitching ahead of the Aug.
3 trade deadline.
Ohtani has not pitched since July 3 and canceled a bullpen session in New York over the weekend after his knee and throwing arm felt compromised.
“My biceps (is) not 100 percent,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. “Just similar issue with the knee.
Do we consider pushing this? It is still July.
So I think the conversation would be a little different if we’re in August or September.”
He hit a leadoff home run in Tuesday's 7-6 loss to the Seattle Mariners but has struggled offensively with a .
711 OPS in July and a 7-for-38 slump after an All-Star break knee injection.
“If I was completely, no issue, 100 percent, I think things would have gone the way it was supposed to,” Ohtani said.
“But if I’m at 90 percent, which means 10 percent not quite there, then there’s not really a necessity to force the issue.”
Dodgers Prioritize Ohtani's Bat
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the team has halted Ohtani's throwing progression beyond basic plyo ball drills, focusing on his hitting while avoiding further risks.
“Until I hear otherwise, he’s going to be in the lineup,” Roberts said.
Roberts noted that Ohtani's extended absence from the mound will require a longer buildup before he can start again.
“You’re looking at over three weeks (without pitching) right now, so there has to be a bill,” Roberts said.
“So I just don’t know. I don’t think anyone can kind of foresee what that looks like.”
The front office remains optimistic Ohtani will pitch later this season, potentially using short rehab outings as in 2025.
“Given where we’re at in the calendar, if the knee continues to get better, the arm continues to feel better, I would expect him to pitch,” Roberts said.
The Dodgers also await pitching reinforcements from Blake Snell, scheduled for a Class-A rehab start Wednesday, and Tyler Glasnow, who is throwing live sessions.
“I feel very confident,” Roberts said. “Obviously with Snell being more built up, everything that I’m hearing from the medical staff.
I think Tyler is in a really good spot physically, on his way back to going out.
And then Shohei, I just think that we’re trying to be prudent.
So overall, in total, I feel very good for the rest with all three of these guys as starting pitchers.”
In roster moves, utility player Kiké Hernández returned Tuesday from a severe oblique strain after hyperbaric chamber treatment and a stem-cell injection.
Hernández recounted a panic attack after the injury.
“Sitting in traffic, I had to call my wife, and I could barely talk,” Hernández said. “But I was like, ‘Look, this is what happened.
I don’t know what’s going on with my body. Maybe I’m too old.’”
Closer Edwin Díaz is set to return Wednesday following elbow surgery, and catcher Will Smith has resumed baseball activities after recovering from neck disc inflammation.
