Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman is confident Shohei Ohtani will return before the regular season ends. <\/p>\n
Friedman told reporters<\/a> this week that he expects the designated hitter to return<\/a> before the postseason.<\/p>\n “I expect him back in the regular season,” Friedman declared.<\/p>\n As for how he’s doing, Friedman provided a positive update on the superstar. <\/p>\n “He’s doing well,” Friedman said. “He’s progressing well.”<\/p>\n Ohtani is eligible to return from the 15-day injured list on Sept. 23<\/a>. <\/p>\n That target date leaves Ohtani with only five games remaining until the end of the regular season, and he appears to be on the right track. <\/p>\n “There’s no pain. He’s doing everything he needs to do,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I still don’t know when [the] time to return to play is. But everything that I hear is really positive.”<\/p>\n The 32-year-old is currently sidelined with injuries to his knee, biceps and neck.<\/p>\n Ohtani will focus exclusively on hitting for the rest of the season and into the playoffs after he was shut down from pitching earlier this month<\/a>, right before he was placed on the IL. <\/p>\n Ohtani was shut down from pitching on Sept. 7, over two months since making his final pitching appearance of the season.<\/p>\n The Dodgers initially placed him on an indefinite pause from pitching on July 19<\/a> while he continued to serve as a designated hitter. The hope was he’d be able to return as a pitcher late in the year and into October.<\/p>\n Ohtani was stellar on the mound this season. In 14 appearances, the right-hander went 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA, 95 strikeouts and a 0.95 WHIP in 85.2 innings. <\/p>\n In three seasons as a Dodger, Ohtani has appeared on the mound only 28 times in the regular season. <\/p>\n Shohei Ohtani’s Bat Has Gone Cold Since August<\/p>\n Ohtani’s performance was admirable for a few weeks, but since the start of August, his play has declined significantly. <\/p>\n From Aug. 1 until he was placed on the 15-day IL<\/a>, Ohtani has a .231 batting average with 27 hits, six home runs, 13 RBIs and 19 runs. <\/p>\n Those numbers are far below what Ohtani usually produces at the plate. <\/p>\n Ohtani won’t have much time to ramp up for the postseason. It’s unlikely the four-time MVP will be back to 100% before October rolls around, but the team is hoping to get anything out of him in the playoffs.<\/p>\n Sign up for our free newsletter <\/a>and follow us on X\/Twitter<\/a> and Facebook<\/a> for the latest news.<\/p>\n Today’s best reads<\/p>\n