ATLANTA – The door might not be completely shut on the idea of Shohei Ohtani throwing a pitch this season after all, though the odds of that door creaking open still remain quite slim.
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Ohtani had ruled out any possibility of the two-way superstar pitching in games at any point in 2024 after undergoing a hybrid Tommy John/internal brace procedure last September, remaining adamant on that as recent as last month when Ohtani’s rehabilitation progressed enough for him to start throwing off of a mound.
But manager Dave Roberts, in an interview with MLB Network Radio, opened the door at least a little on Friday for an extreme scenario where he potentially figures into the Dodgers’ mix this October.
“This is something that is a long-term play,” Roberts said Friday when asked about those comments. “We’ve still got a lot of work to get to October and through October. I hope that (the playoffs are) on his mind as far as motivation for his rehab. But the odds of it coming to pass are very slim. But they’re not zero.”
They remain extremely unlikely. Ohtani threw his first bullpen session on Aug. 24, and there are still “at least a couple more weeks” until the Dodgers would even talk about the prospect of Ohtani facing hitters in simulated games. The original plan of having Ohtani shut down for the winter once the postseason began would go out the window, and even the chance of abbreviated outings would require a deep postseason run.
“You never want to say never but I do think it’s – probably for something like that to happen, we need to get far into the playoffs,” Mark Prior said.
Then, there’s the commitment involved: the Dodgers inked Ohtani to a record-setting 10-year, $700 million deal this past winter, giving the club incentive to preach patience with their new superstar.
The Dodgers already have enough pitching questions as it is, including in their newly-acquired ace Tyler Glasnow, who cut his simulated game short in warmups after a setback with his injured right elbow. His chances this postseason remain slim, as the Dodgers’ current October rotation appears to consist of Jack Flaherty, a not-fully-built-up Yoshinobu Yamamoto and many questions behind that.
“To say No to something and completely close the door might not be the smartest thing,” Roberts said. “Again, leaving it open, a small, small, tiny possibility. I think that’s fair to the situation.”
If anything, it is a positive reflection of how Ohtani’s rehabilitation has gone, which has come amid a historic season – one that has included just the sixth 40-40 campaign in major league history and a real shot at becoming the first 50-50 player ever by year’s end.
“Clearly,” Prior said, “it’s seamless for him.”
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(Photo: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)
