PHILADELPHIA -- Shohei Ohtani was once scheduled to start Wednesday's series finale against the Phillies. While being eased off pitching indefinitely due to a lingering issue with his left knee changed that plan, the two-way superstar still threw off a mound at Citizens Bank Park -- in the bullpen, not on the diamond.
Ohtani threw his first bullpen session in two weeks on Wednesday afternoon, throwing around 30 pitches and seeming to use his entire mix. Pitching coach Mark Prior described it as similar to Ohtani's typical side sessions in between starts.
"It looked good. Feels good. We'll see where he's at tomorrow," Prior said. "I mean, there's not too much to elaborate on. But he's going to hit tonight, and go to work."
Getting on the slope was a step forward for Ohtani, but there is still no timeline for his return to the Dodgers' rotation. Seeing how he recovers from his first bullpen session should help to inform how Ohtani proceeds from here.
Manager Dave Roberts initially said that the plan was for Ohtani to throw off the mound this weekend at Citi Field, but he felt good enough to do it a few days earlier.
"I think we all believe that you don’t know more than the player," Roberts said. "He knows his body so well. If he feels he’s ready to get off a mound, then we support it. I think for us, it’s more not trying to force him or push him."
Ohtani's knee first flared up during the Dodgers' June 11 game in Pittsburgh. Afterward, he primarily felt the lingering soreness while pitching, not hitting, and continued to make his weekly starts on the mound until he was scratched from his final pitching appearance of the first half on July 10.
The Dodgers were hopeful that a lubricating Orthovisc injection, plus four days of rest during the All-Star break, would allow Ohtani to return to his weekly pitching schedule to begin the second half. But Ohtani continued to feel discomfort in his knee while playing catch on flat ground, so the team opted to pull him out of the rotation for an unspecified amount of time.
Ohtani's knee has felt better since getting the injection, Roberts said, and he continued to play catch even with his pitching on hold. As long as it does not exacerbate his knee, continuing to throw is important for Ohtani because he will lose some of his buildup the longer he is out of the rotation.
"I still think it hasn’t been so long that the equity that he’s built up with the pitch count is that much compromised," Roberts said. "But with that, I can’t foresee him running out there and throwing 100 pitches his first outing."
Ohtani has not pitched enough to qualify for the ERA title, but he has been one of the best starters in the Majors this season, going 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA. He's seen a bit of a drop off in results dating back to the start before he first reported his knee trouble, allowing 14 runs (12 earned) in his last 24 2/3 innings.
The knee has affected Ohtani while pitching more than hitting, so the Dodgers believe that could be a factor in his recent performance. Ohtani has been working to adjust his delivery to take some of the impact off his left knee.
"I think he's trying to make adjustments to his delivery to execute pitches," Prior said. "I think ultimately, that's still what the game's about. I think his delivery got off a little bit, kind of affected some things. But at the end of the day, when he gets his delivery right, his execution of his pitches, he's at a much higher efficiency. I think that's the goal."