It’s finally time – the two-way phenom is so close to being a whole again. He’s ready to prove why he’s built for both ends of the game. The Los Angeles Dodgers’ star Shohei Ohtani hasn’t pitched in a game since August 23, 2023, as his recovery has been tightly managed by the Dodgers’ medical staff. He had undergone his second Tommy John surgery back in September 2023. And for the Dodgers, it was a real blow. They’ve been craving his return on the mound for a while now. And the countdown ends soon.

Ohtani is almost back where he belongs. Across his five seasons as a pitcher, the right-hander has gone 31-19. His career ERA is a strong 3.01. Across 481.2 innings, Ohtani has struck out 608 batters. Currently, the Dodgers are facing the Mets; however, their 24th May matchup is about to get a whole lot more interesting as their star pitcher is set to be back on the other side of the ball.

It has been reported by Deesha Thosar from FOX Sports MLB that the three-time MVP and 2024 World Series champion is set to pitch to major league hitters in batting practice. It’ll be Ohtani’s first time since his elbow ligament reconstruction. This pitching comeback after all this while will be closely watched.

These sessions for batting practice would be extra crucial. Because, let’s not forget Ohtani hasn’t made an appearance on the mound with the Dodgers since he signed before the 2024 season. In recent times, during bullpen pitching, he has been using breaking balls such as curves and sliders.

The man himself opened up a bit about his pitching and said, “I’m getting 94 and 95 miles of fastballs out of my hands very easily.”

Ohtani is reaching as high as 95 mph, as reported by Dave Roberts. When it comes to his actual comeback, the Dodgers won’t be rushing it. And no, not even if they require rotation help. The Dodgers are already in a pretty good place. As per Baseball Prospectus, the team has 99.3% playoffs odds.

While we can’t wait to witness Ohtani’s first spark in his long-awaited comeback to the mound on Saturday, the Dodgers have a clear stance on his pitching return.

What’s the Dodgers’ plan for Ohtani?

With Ohtani’s recovery, the Dodgers have been very patient and protective of his arm. Manager Dave Roberts shared his clear stance on the three-time MVP this Friday. He addressed that the team would not be sending Ohtani on a rehab assignment as a pitcher. After all, they can’t afford to lose his explosive bat in the lineup. In Roberts’ words, “The build-up is important, but so is him taking five at-bats a game.”

All season, instead of a “two-way,” Ohtani has been a “halfway” player. However, he’s been delivering exceptionally as a hitter. He has been hitting over .300, and for the same reason, his presence in the lineup cannot be interrupted.

The original plan was to have Ohtani back on the pitching mound by the opening day. Of course, that didn’t happen. Apparently, the shift in the timeline is because of the fact that he suffered a torn labrum in the 2024 World Series. So naturally, his off-season recovery period was delayed.

Just last Saturday, he threw a 35-pitch bullpen session. And now, just one week later, he’s facing live hitters, and it is expected that he’ll be delivering well.

For his return, Roberts admitted that it’s still “a couple of months away.” The thing is the Dodgers need Ohtani more in the postseason. Naturally, for this stretch of the season, they want to manage without him and want to save him for when it matters the most.