Two-way celebrity Shohei Ohtani has simply been a one-way celebrity this season. He underwent Tommy John surgical procedure late final yr and hasn’t been capable of pitch in any respect for the Dodgers. The membership has lengthy deliberate for him to deal with serving because the designated hitter whereas additionally rehabbing his elbow for a return to the mound in 2025, nevertheless it appears there’s a chance of Ohtani not less than performing some pitching in October. Supervisor Dave Roberts mentioned in current days that there’s a non-zero likelihood Ohtani pitches within the postseason, a scenario that Invoice Plunkett examined yesterday for the Orange County Register.
As famous by Plunkett, Ohtani has been step by step constructing the depth of his throwing program all year long. He not too long ago progressed to mound work and has thrown from the hill six instances now, together with his most up-to-date session attending to 25 pitches and a velocity of 93 miles per hour. The following step might be Ohtani dealing with hitters in stay batting follow, which is able to happen within the coming weeks.
Ohtani is nearly on the one-year mark from his surgical procedure, which was introduced on September 19 of final yr. Usually, getting back from UCL surgical procedures takes a bit longer than that, nevertheless it’s not unparalleled for a man to be returning on this kind of timeline. Nevertheless, pitchers present process the conventional rehab course of don’t achieve this whereas serving as elite hitters. Ohtani is pushing in direction of an unprecedented 50-50 season, at the moment at 47 homers and 48 stolen bases. His total efficiency is sufficient that he’s strongly within the combine to be named Most Priceless Participant in a couple of weeks, all whereas he’s been present process his throwing program within the background.
“Perhaps it’s an excellent factor that he has the power to disconnect, compartmentalize and go hit and do all of the issues he’s doing on the offensive facet,” pitching coach Mark Prior mentioned. “The place usually as pitchers, you’re type of ingrained with the identical monotony. You may type of get slowed down in a few of the – each ache, soreness; good, unhealthy, detached throw. Perhaps it offers him an opportunity to really be free and relaxed. However it’s nonetheless fairly spectacular.”
Maybe it shouldn’t be shocking that Ohtani’s rehab is exceptional, since that appears to be how he assaults each baseball problem that comes his method, nevertheless it’s now going to place the Dodgers in place to make a tough selection. As famous by Plunkett, the membership has at all times deliberate to close down the throwing program throughout the postseason however Ohtani’s progress may open the door for them to pivot. “We’re all going to circle up, however that’s proper,” Roberts mentioned, acknowledging that conversations are going available about altering the plans for Ohtani. “We’ll see. We’ll see.”
What occurs within the subsequent few weeks will certainly rely upon a number of elements. Ohtani should really feel good bodily with none notable setbacks, whereas he and his reps will naturally need to be snug with him returning to the mound earlier than the winter is out.
The Dodgers may even need to preserve enjoying lengthy sufficient for Ohtani to develop into an element, which might presumably develop into extra probably in the event that they keep alive deeper into October. Whether or not the Dodgers would attempt to stretch out Ohtani or just have him pitch shorter outings from the bullpen is unknown and maybe one thing they haven’t even determined upon but.
The rotation may definitely use the assistance. The membership has misplaced River Ryan, Emmet Sheehan and Dustin Might to season-ending surgical procedures. Tyler Glasnow is on the injured record and in all probability received’t make it again this yr. Clayton Kershaw and Gavin Stone are additionally on the IL with unsure futures. Tony Gonsolin, like Ohtani, is attempting to return from a Tommy John surgical procedure late in 2023.
For now, the rotation consists of Jack Flaherty, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Landon Knack, Walker Buehler and Bobby Miller, with every of these guys having some query marks. Flaherty handled again issues whereas with the Tigers, sufficient that the Yankees reportedly balked at buying him previous to the deadline, which allowed the Dodgers to swoop in and get a deal completed. Yamamoto missed roughly three months attributable to a rotator cuff pressure and solely simply got here off the IL a couple of days in the past. Buehler and Miller each have tough outcomes on the yr. Knack has some respectable numbers however in simply 56 main league innings so far in his profession.
Assuming Flaherty and Yamamoto keep wholesome, that offers the Dodgers a stable one-two for a playoff rotation, however issues get trickier from there. If Stone, Kershaw or Gonsolin can develop into elements within the subsequent few weeks, that might clearly assist.
So, too, would a wholesome Ohtani, nevertheless it’s maybe an excessive amount of to ask for him to be absolutely stretched out. The Dodgers have an excellent likelihood of securing a bye by means of the primary playoff spherical. They’re at the moment two video games behind the Phillies within the Nationwide League, however two video games up on the Brewers for the second bye. Within the division, the Padres are the closest membership to the Dodgers at 3.5 video games again. However even when they do get a bye and have that further time, it might not be sufficient for Ohtani to be a practical possibility for a starter’s function.
It’s not completely unprecedented for a membership to deploy bullpen video games within the playoffs, so maybe there’s an opportunity the Dodgers resolve to have Ohtani working as a bulk pitcher, hitting some kind of innings or pitch rely restrict whereas a number of different pitchers assist with the remainder of that sport. This might successfully work as a kind unofficial rehab project, as he step by step builds his workload all through the membership’s playoff run. This could be a extra excessive model of Yamamoto’s current return, as he got here off the IL with out being absolutely stretched out. He solely made two rehab appearances of two innings every earlier than returning to the large league membership, tossing 59 pitches over 4 innings on Tuesday.
If the Dodgers deploy Ohtani as an easy reliever, he may present some worth to the bullpen and it’s one thing that he not less than has some small quantity of expertise with, memorably closing out the 2023 World Baseball Basic by putting out his then-teammate with the Angels Mike Trout. Ohtani had been working as a starter earlier within the match however got here out of the bullpen for the ultimate sport moderately than beginning on quick relaxation. He additionally had completed a little bit of reduction work in Japan previous to coming over to MLB.
Although his monitor document as a reliever is brief, there’s little cause to doubt that he may present worth within the function, as beginning pitchers typically transfer to the bullpen throughout the postseason and function distinction makers. There are extra off-days within the playoffs in comparison with the common season, permitting managers to lean on their greatest pitchers extra typically and in several shapes than they do in any other case.
In fact, the Dodgers should weigh any short-term advantages in opposition to any long-term danger to Ohtani’s arm. He and the membership agreed to a ten-year contract, with 9 seasons nonetheless to go after this one. Ohtani beforehand underwent Tommy John surgical procedure in 2018, so managing his well being after a second main elbow surgical procedure might be necessary for the Dodgers in 2025 and past. Alternatively, flags fly endlessly and the Dodgers haven’t hoisted after a full season since 1988. Expectations for the membership are sky excessive after a decade-plus of dominance within the common season however playoff struggles, so there could be a big temptation to discover all choices and depart every little thing on the desk.
There are nonetheless many unknowns within the scenario and it’s doable that it’ll stay fluid for the subsequent six weeks. For now, it appears Ohtani will proceed throwing after which he and the membership will resolve the way to proceed as time goes on. “Shohei’s on board with simply persevering with his rehab course of,” Roberts mentioned to MLB Community Radio a couple of days in the past about Ohtani coming again within the playoffs. (X hyperlink with audio). “And I wouldn’t put it previous him to have an eye fixed on that. And we’ll simply see the way it performs out.”