Shohei Ohtani took another small but meaningful step in Los Angeles on Friday, stepping into the cage for coach-pitch batting practice as he works back from injuries to his left knee and right biceps. The Dodgers still expect their leadoff star to return before the regular season closes, though there remains a distance between controlled swings and facing Major League pitching again.
Manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani came through the session without trouble, calling the past several days productive. The next markers will be getting Ohtani back on the field, then progressing to live batting practice or work against the Trajekt pitching machine. He has not reached those stages yet, but the club believes he is moving in the right direction.
The Dodgers are preparing Ohtani strictly as a hitter. He will not pitch again this season after his last mound appearance on July 3, allowing him to concentrate on getting his body right for the stretch run and, they hope, October. His 15-day injured-list placement was retroactive to Sept. 8, making Wednesday his first possible activation date. That timetable could leave him no more than five regular-season games to regain his timing against big league arms before the postseason begins.
A needed reset before October
Los Angeles has held together in Ohtani’s absence, going 6-3 and producing 48 runs, an average of 5.3 per game, albeit against clubs outside the playoff chase. Still, the Dodgers know their lineup carries a different shape when the four-time MVP is healthy enough to set the table at the top.
For much of the year, Ohtani performed at his usual elite level despite a growing list of physical concerns. Through 110 games, he batted .296 with 26 home runs and a .952 OPS. His final 24 games before the injured-list move told a different story: Ohtani went 19-for-96, a .198 average, with a .690 OPS and 34 strikeouts while attempting to build back toward pitching.
The club ultimately chose rest over asking him to keep grinding through the discomfort. Ohtani stayed in Los Angeles during the Dodgers’ latest road trip to focus on his recovery, missing the clubhouse celebration when the team secured its 13th National League West crown in 14 years on Thursday.
There will be another occasion to celebrate, Roberts said, with the Dodgers aiming to win again and raise a fresh toast with Ohtani included. The manager also made clear that the division-clinching moment belonged to more than one absent star; plenty of players helped carry Los Angeles to another familiar spot atop the division.
