'Historic season' pitcher Ohtani begins catchball... Could he pitch as an opener? "Any number of innings is a bonus," Roberts hints at possibility

*This content was translated by AI.

Shohei Ohtani (32, LA Dodgers) is preparing to return as a pitcher. He has started catching and throwing the ball again.

Major League Baseball's official website, MLB.com, announced on the 9th (Korean time) that "after more than two weeks of absence, Dodgers two-way star Ohtani began his pitching training by doing catchball on the field before the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on the 9th."

Ohtani, who suffered a late-season elbow injury in 2023 and played only as a designated hitter after joining the Dodgers the following year, returned to pitching last season. He pitched 47 innings in 14 games, cautiously demonstrating his two-way capabilities.

This season, he started as a two-way player from the beginning. In 14 games, he logged 85⅔ innings with an 8-2 record, an ERA of 1.79, and 95 strikeouts. His batting average against was 0.180, and his WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) was 0.95, performing as a top-tier pitcher in the league. Compared to his most impactful season as a pitcher in 2022, when he recorded 15 wins, an ERA of 2.33, and 219 strikeouts, this season's impact appears even more intense.

However, it has already been over a month since his last pitch. He has not taken the mound since ending the game against the San Diego Padres on the 4th due to persistent pain in his left knee. Fortunately, there were no major issues with his role as a designated hitter, but being unable to throw raised red flags regarding Ohtani's chances of winning his fourth consecutive Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.

As a batter this season, he is currently batting .294 with 26 home runs, 71 RBIs, and 73 runs scored in 111 games, posting an on-base percentage of 0.398, a slugging percentage of 0.547, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 0.945. Compared to the recent three seasons when he won MVP, it is true that his impact at the plate has been lacking. Moreover, Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs has shown perfect performance on both offense and defense, leading some to evaluate that he currently stands ahead of Ohtani in the MVP race.

For the Dodgers' championship and Ohtani's MVP win, a return from "Two-Way Ohtani" is urgently needed. Ohtani has started catching and throwing again. According to MLB.com, Ohtani did light pitching in the bullpen before doing catchball on the field today. He threw the ball up to a distance of 90 feet (about 27 meters), marking his first publicized pitching scene since throwing in the bullpen ahead of the game against the Philadelphia Phillies on the 23rd last month.

After finishing his pitching training, Ohtani said, "I'm getting quite better day by day." He added, "It's difficult to say what the schedule will look like at this point. Rather than rushing the recovery process, I want to make sure we are moving in the right direction. For now, it is important to take the appropriate steps."

As Ohtani goes through his training, the outline of his return procedure is expected to become clearer. If pain arises while gradually increasing catchball distances and adding force to his pitches, he may need to rest again; otherwise, preparations for his return could gain momentum.

Currently, once he moves to the long toss stage, he can begin bullpen pitching training. The next step would involve live pitching with batters in place before he likely returns to game action similar to last season.

Last year's return process could serve as a hint. At that time, the bullpen pitching phase took several months, but he only completed three live pitching sessions before his actual game appearances.

If Ohtani can return during the regular season, local forecasts suggest it is more likely he will pitch in an opener format, handling multiple innings rather than serving as a traditional starting pitcher. The same could apply to the postseason.

Dave Roberts, Dodgers manager, said earlier this week, "Considering he is a two-way player, any number of innings he throws is a bonus for us." He added, "Whether it's one inning, two innings, or three innings, we are not overly concerned about the timing of his return."

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*This content was translated by AI.