Ohtani progresses to long toss; throwing off mound could be next

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LOS ANGELES -- After his latest session of catch Tuesday, Shohei Ohtani stood on the mound inside the home bullpen at Dodger Stadium and simulated his pitching delivery. Ohtani may only be limited to dry throws on the slope for the time being, but it may not be much longer until he can get on the mound for real.

Ohtani has made steady progress since beginning a throwing program last Saturday. He most recently threw out to more than 200 feet, and his next meaningful step forward could be throwing off the mound, although there remains no set date for that milestone.

Lingering discomfort in his left knee has kept Ohtani from pitching in a game since July 3. At first, he was still keeping his arm moving, but he had a setback after a July 22 bullpen session in Philadelphia that caused him to be shut down from throwing for two and a half weeks. After that, Ohtani seemed to be more willing to take things slower in his return to the mound.

"Rather than rush the progression of this, I would rather make sure we’re headed in the right direction," Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton last week. "But making sure we’re taking the right steps."

During Ohtani's indefinite leave from the rotation, the Dodgers have received reinforcements. They traded for two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal. They got another two-time Cy Young Award winner, Blake Snell, back from the injured list Tuesday. Tyler Glasnow is two rehab starts away from rejoining L.A. as well.

Given those developments, the Dodgers don't have as much urgency for Ohtani to get back on the mound -- but they feel that they are a better team when he's playing to his full two-way capabilities, as long as he comes back the right way.

"I still feel just his health is kind of the main thing anyway," manager Dave Roberts said. "Regardless of having Skubal or not, or having Snell back, you still have to treat him individually as what is best for him. It is additive, given he’s a two-way player, to get those innings, for sure."

Last year, when the Dodgers managed Ohtani's in-season rehab from a second major elbow surgery, they had no real blueprint for rehabbing a player on the mound while keeping him fresh enough to hit atop their lineup each day.

This year, they have a better idea of how to manage the process, although the situation is different. L.A. had an entire season ahead of it back then; there's about a month and a half remaining in the regular season now. Ohtani was starting from scratch last year, but he pitched for almost the entire first half this year.

The previous season can still be a reference point for Ohtani's progression. Last year, Ohtani's bullpen progression spanned about two months before he began facing hitters -- and after just three live sessions, he and the Dodgers determined that he was ready to pitch in a game. This year, Roberts said Ohtani will throw at least "a few" full bullpen sessions before he can face hitters, and after one live session, he might be game-ready.

The Dodgers have yet to put a date on a return to pitching for Ohtani. Given the boxes he needs to check, it seems realistic for him to be back on the big league mound at some point in the first half of September. That would give him two or three starts for the Dodgers, in which he would build up an inning at a time, similar to last year.

With minimal time to ramp up, Ohtani may be limited to being more of a multi-inning opener during the postseason run. But as the Dodgers say, any innings they can get from him are additive -- especially if he can pitch the way he did before his knee flared up.