It’s been almost two years since we’ve seen the part that completes the two-way phenom: Shohei Ohtani’s pitching. He stayed off the mound, but that didn’t mean he was sitting idle. Recently, against minor league hitters, he threw 44 pitches across three sharp innings. The Dodgers saw the promising signs of his return. However, the team had to play it safe. After all, they have watched pitcher after pitcher make their way to the injured list.

Rightfully so, Dave Roberts eased him back in. Without digressing too much, let’s see how exactly Ohtani seized the opportunity to clarify his two-way future. On Saturday night at Dodger Stadium, he launched two home runs against the San Francisco Giants. The first home run came right out of the gate, marking his 24th home run of the season.

After walking off with an 11-5 win against the Giants, he opened up about how it felt to hit not just one, but two home runs. It was indeed worth mentioning, as he was coming off the longest homer drought since signing with the Dodgers. He led off the game, recording his 24th home run in Landen Roupp’s fourth pitch, with an exit velocity was 110.3 mph.

However, the real weight of that media appearance came when he addressed his pitching update. He made his intentions clear with a straightforward declaration about his two-way power. “I do feel like being a two-way player that I used to be was the norm… so last year really was an abnormal year, and for me it’s about getting back to what I used to be,” said Ohtani via his translator.

He stayed off the mound for a long time. It isn’t easy because the two-way player is the norm for him, not just a talent. He was redefining the game, earning Babe Ruth comparisons. Why would he ever give that up? Furthermore, he was questioned about the routine changes in the last couple of weeks with his increased pitching workload. Ohtani answered, “The live bullpen sessions are really an important part of the progression… The intensity is different, so how that feels to my body is going to be different as well.”

“But it’s something that I do have to go through to make sure that my body feels right,” he added further. Just so you know, he concluded the conversation by admitting that in his last bullpen session, he felt the intensity, believing his “stuff was game-ready.”

Will we be seeing him take the mound this season? Perhaps sooner rather than later.

Dodgers tread carefully as Shohei Ohtani nears his two-way return

Not so long ago, manager Dave Roberts said that the team is expecting Ohtani’s pitching return after the All-Star Game. For the record, the All-Star Game will take place on July 15 in Atlanta.

However, just earlier this week, Roberts admitted that the Dodgers are still uncertain about the perfect moment for Ohtani’s return to the mound. In fact, Roberts said that he’s certain that Ohtani will be “tempted” to just rip the band-aid off. But the skipper expressed his responsibility to be patient, despite their desperation for a reliable arm in the pitching staff. We’re still being very careful,” said Roberts.

According to Dodgers skipper, there is a “north of zero” chance of his return. He intentionally made the answer vague. After all, how would you interpret “north of zero”? 1% or 10%? Roberts, in his classic way, did exactly what Ohtani did when he appeared in front of the media after Saturday’s matchup against the Giants. When the interviewer asked him about his return, he smirked, nudging the interviewer to guess.

So, how about we brace ourselves until the Dodgers decide to open up about Ohtani’s return? It’s not that far now!