DETROIT — Shohei Ohtani will not return to the mound in the coming days as originally planned after the two-way star didn’t feel 100 percent following a 20-pitch bullpen session Friday at Comerica Park, manager Dave Roberts confirmed Saturday afternoon after the Dodgers’ 2-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers.
Ohtani, who has not pitched since July 3 due to left knee inflammation, was originally slated to pitch one inning either Sunday in Detroit or Tuesday in Los Angeles. Sunday had always seemed the most logical day, as it would have ensured five starts before the end of the regular season, giving him every possible opportunity to stretch out to a full-time starter’s workload before the postseason.
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Now, after a multi-week build-up, it is again unclear when Ohtani will pitch. The Dodgers do not have a target date for his return. Roberts said the organization has not yet decided whether to shut Ohtani down from pitching this season.
“I think that just, in total, Sho hasn’t come out of it well,” Roberts said. “The arm, the knee. If any pitcher was feeling like this, we wouldn’t let him go.”
Roberts first floated the possibility of Ohtani not pitching Saturday morning, before the game.
“I don’t think he’s 100 percent,” Roberts said. “That’s the hard part right now, is trying to figure out if he’s not 100 percent (with the) overall body, is it worth giving him a minute to build up or not? Trying to weigh the positives and negatives.”
He confirmed that decision postgame. It is not just Ohtani’s knee that is bothersome. Roberts described the total body as “not 100 percent,” including the right biceps soreness that has plagued him at times this season.
Tyler Glasnow will start Sunday, and Eric Lauer will start Tuesday, Roberts said. Glasnow, who made his first start Tuesday after three and a half months on the injured list, was expected to pitch Sunday regardless. He was slated to pitch in a piggyback role behind Ohtani, if Ohtani had been cleared to pitch.
The Dodgers have been hopeful Ohtani would be able to pitch through the final month of the regular season. He had seemingly checked the final two boxes of that process after facing live hitters last Saturday at Dodger Stadium and a bullpen Friday. However, that session lasted roughly 20 pitches, notably shorter than the 30 or so pitches he usually throws before his start, which raised flags.
“In the sense of coming out of (the bullpen), you’re a couple days away from taking the mound again, and you don’t feel you know 100 percent,” Roberts said. “So it’s to ask the question, if you’re not 100 percent going into now ramping up in a major-league game, is it worth it?”
The Dodgers must now decide what’s best for both the team and Ohtani: pushing past his physical limitations to give him the best chance of stretching out as a starting pitcher, or protecting him from further injury and ensuring his bat stays in the lineup.
“Where we’re at right now with 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.”
Ohtani’s production at the plate has declined since resuming his throwing program. Ohtani logged his first bullpen session after a nearly three-week break from throwing on Aug. 14. Since then, he has hit .212 with a .797 OPS, three homers and 17 strikeouts heading into play Saturday. Roberts downplayed the timing of the production drop, citing Ohtani’s pitch selection as the reason for the decline. But given the Dodgers’ lackluster offensive production over the past month, keeping Ohtani’s bat in the lineup takes priority over starting him on the mound.
“As far as him as an offensive player, that’s very important,” Roberts said of Ohtani. “As a pitcher, for me, given the strength of our staff, our team, I don’t think that’s as important. I think it’s important for us not to compromise his health in any capacity. But for me, his presence in the batter’s box is hugely important.”
Despite the lingering soreness, there has been no talk of removing Ohtani from the lineup as a hitter. He will continue to serve as the starting designated hitter while the team contemplates whether he should return to the mound this season. Given the remaining calendar, Ohtani’s chances of building up to full strength before the end of the season would be slim to none, though he could theoretically be built up to serve as an opener.
“I think that if I knew, if I heard at all that was affecting his swing, his biceps or knee was bothering him, I would absolutely be open to giving him a day off,” Roberts said. “But I haven’t heard otherwise.”
“He hasn’t said anything about the hitting. I know that the last couple weeks haven’t been great with the bat, but he hasn’t expressed anything. Nor have the trainers.”
Ohtani went 1-for-4 with a single and a strikeout in Saturday’s loss.
There is still belief that Ohtani could pitch again this season, but Roberts made clear the priority going forward will be ensuring Ohtani is at full strength as a hitter.
“(Ohtani) still feels that there’s still an opportunity, and I’m not trying to say there isn’t,” Roberts said. “But I do think that at the end of the day, he’s very aware of our roster, strengths, weaknesses, and his value to the ball club.”