The Los Angeles Dodgers have had an offseason of uncertainty for his or her pitching roster.
With some issues higher than others — like too many starting-caliber pitchers for the rotation — a more moderen growth has been the standing of Nationwide League MVP Shohei Ohtani making his return to the mound.
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L.A. lately halted Ohtani’s throwing progressoin because the slugger nonetheless must ramp up forward of his position because the crew’s designated hitter. The unique timeline to see Ohtani make his pitching debut as a Dodger was Could, however that date is now not confirmed.
Roberts did make clear that Ohtani continues to be throwing the ball, however doesn’t know when the subsequent correct bullpen shall be.
“He’s been throwing. He hasn’t stopped throwing. However I don’t know when he’s going to throw his subsequent bullpen,” Roberts mentioned. “He understood the method. He’s ramped up with the hitting and to let that (pitching) a part of the method decelerate and never intensify each issues, he was on board.”
Because the Dodgers at the moment have an inflow of gifted pitchers, it’s the smarter transfer for the group to get the three-time MVP able to face main league pitching — sspecially since Ohtani isn’t simply recovering from his 2023 UCL surgical procedure, however a torn labrum suffered within the World Sequence that required surgical procedure. Thus, it’s best for the famous person to concentrate on one side of his recreation at a time.
And when Ohtani targeted on simply his hitting final season, the payoff was historic.
He didn’t simply win the MVP award, however Ohtani turned the primary participant in MLB historical past to hit 50 or extra house runs and steal 50 or extra bases in the identical season. Dodgers followers have solely seen the primary yr of a decade-long contract with the generational expertise and have but to see him pitch as nicely.
As Ohtani retains making historical past, he’ll try to assist his crew do the identical by turning into baseball’s first back-to-back champions in a quarter-century.
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Photograph Credit score: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Photos
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