DETROIT -- The Dodgers are still expecting to get Shohei Ohtani back as a pitcher this season, but manager Dave Roberts acknowledged that the two-way superstar is "not 100%," which will keep him off the mound a little while longer.
The Dodgers kept a possible Sunday pitching start on the table for Ohtani until after Saturday's 2-1 loss to the Tigers, when Roberts confirmed that Ohtani would not pitch in the finale in Detroit. Ohtani is expected to pitch again this season, but his timeline has become indefinite once again due to recurring soreness in his left knee, right biceps and "overall body."
"If any pitcher was feeling like this," Roberts said, "we wouldn't run him out there."
Tyler Glasnow will start Sunday's game instead. He had been slated to pitch regardless, whether it was a full start or in bulk behind Ohtani.
Ohtani reported that he didn't feel his best physically after throwing about 20 pitches in the bullpen on Friday, a lighter workload than his typical pre-start sessions. Ohtani's lingering left knee soreness has been the primary issue that has kept him from pitching since July 3, and it has resurfaced along with other physical issues as his pitching progression has intensified.
"To be quite frank, I just don't see everything getting to 100% by the end of the season," Roberts said. "But there's a lot of pitchers that are not 100% and still viable. So again, it's just not an exact science."
Once the Dodgers return to L.A., they will determine next steps for Ohtani as a pitcher. While pitching on Tuesday was previously viewed as an option for him, that is also off the table now. They have not set a target date for his return to two-way duties.
"I don't even know if it's a setback in the sense that [he] hasn't been 100%, and so you're hoping that each day gets a little bit better and closer," Roberts said. "Once we have to make a decision, which would be [Sunday], [he] just is not there."
Ohtani went 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA in 14 starts before his pitching was put on hold, primarily due to his left knee. The Dodgers were hopeful that he was past his knee issue once he resumed throwing on Aug. 8, but intensifying his progression in the weeks that followed put an additional strain on Ohtani's body.
Since he resumed throwing, Ohtani's offensive production has dropped off as well. Ohtani has gone 18-for-82 (.220) with 26 strikeouts and eight walks in his last 20 games. He has not indicated that what he's going through physically is affecting him as a hitter, and Roberts does not believe that the throwing program has directly caused the slump.
“It just hasn’t been a whole body of work on the throwing side,” Roberts said. "Honestly, I just think that for me, I think the pitch selection hasn't been good."
Therein lies the biggest dilemma for the Dodgers. Ohtani provides immense value as a two-way player. When he's healthy, he is capable of being one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball. But L.A. already has a loaded rotation led by Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tarik Skubal, Blake Snell and Glasnow. Because of that, Ohtani's offensive value is arguably more important for the team at this point.
"Obviously, where we're at right now with the pitching, the starting pitching certainly being a strength, his value offensively is hugely important, and so we can't compromise that in any fashion," Roberts said. "So if throwing potentially cuts into that, that's not worth the squeeze. … Very, very bullish on making sure we don't compromise the hitting."
As things stand, the Dodgers have limited time to build up Ohtani as a pitcher. The team had previously been optimistic that he could build up to five innings by season's end, but Roberts acknowledged that that seems less likely now. L.A. would like Ohtani to be at his best on both sides of the ball in the postseason, but as a pitcher, he might be limited somewhat by both his health and the constraints of the schedule.
"We're still thinking about potentially the buildup and what that would mean, which is fair," Roberts said. "But at the end of the day, it's what's best for Shohei, what's best for us, what makes the most sense."