LOS ANGELES -- Last week, Dodgers top prospect Dalton Rushing took an at-bat against Shohei Ohtani and went down on strikes. This week, he was behind the plate, where the young backstop was able to appreciate just how special it is to see Ohtani in competition mode on the mound.
"You see how real everything is. You see how good the stuff is, how competitive a player he is," Rushing said. "It's special. It's a matchup against a guy like that. You kind of get to see where your own feet are. You get to put yourself in line and understand what he does really well, and what you do really well as a player."
Ohtani threw 29 pitches across two innings to a pair of hitters -- one from each side of the plate -- from Single-A Rancho Cucamonga before Saturday's game against the Yankees at Dodger Stadium. Ohtani had one strikeout against one walk, and allowed a couple of clean base hits and a few grounders.
Manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani threw his entire pitch mix and came away feeling good, which continues to be the most important checkpoint for the team. There is still no timeline for his return to big league game action, but the Dodgers’ superstar continues to make incremental progress with every week.
"I think he wishes his command would have been a little bit better," Roberts said. "But really positive day for Sho.”
The live session came one day after Ohtani went deep twice against the Yankees, tying the Dodgers' record for the most homers in a single calendar month with 15. Last Sunday, after Ohtani faced hitters for the first time since his September 2023 right ulnar collateral ligament repair, he opened the contest with a leadoff blast.
The past week or so has provided a tantalizing look at just how dangerous Ohtani can be for the Dodgers once he's back as a two-way player.
“I think the thing that's most impressive is his ability to compartmentalize," Roberts said. "I mean, he's essentially doing the work of two players. And to still go out there and perform on the offensive side, it's pretty remarkable.”
Ohtani is expected to ramp up only through simulated games, rather than make any Minor League rehab starts. Given that he'll need to build up to around six innings, he is not expected to be an option for the Dodgers' rotation until after the All-Star break.