Shohei Ohtani will return to mound for Dodgers

Shohei Ohtani will return to the mound on Monday night when the Los Angeles Dodgers take on the San Diego Padres in what is set to be his first pitching appearance since Aug. 23, 2023.

The Dodgers made the announcement of Ohtani’s return to the bump on Sunday night amid the team’s 5-4 win over the San Francisco Giants. Ohtani has not pitched since he was a member of the Los Angeles Angels. He had an elbow procedure in between the 21 months he was kept from the pitcher’s mound.

He will likely be used as the opener for the Dodgers.

“Shohei is getting antsy, which is a good thing for us,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before the team announced Ohtani was going to be on the bump.

“I don’t know if it’s going to be one or two innings, but my guess is probably an inning to start. But it’s a good thing. The live, simulated, or whatever, sort of ran its course. He’s ready to make his debut on the mound.”

It was expected Ohtani was going to return to the pitcher’s mound at some point when he signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with Los Angeles before the 2024 season. It was only a matter of time, and the Dodgers had no qualms about slow-rolling his efforts to pitch again.

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He started bullpen sessions on March 29 and threw batting practice on May 25.

“There’s been a lot of anticipation,” Roberts said. “I think we’ve done it the right way as far as our process, communicating with Shohei and feeling good. … It’s good for our team. Our guys are excited about this potential. And obviously, most important, I’m excited for Shohei.”

Ohtani is one of the rare players in the sport who can both pitch and hit.

He has made 86 appearances as a pitcher and struck out 608 batters with a 3.01 ERA. He only ever pitched for the Los Angeles Angels in MLB.

Los Angeles is dealing with a slew of injuries in its rotation. Roki Sasaki is set to be sidelined for the long term with right shoulder impingement, Blake Snell is missing time due to left shoulder inflammation, and Tyler Glasnow is dealing with right shoulder inflammation.

Ohtani will be called upon to give the Dodgers some relief in that area – at least for now.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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