Shohei Ohtani has been placing collectively an MVP season on the plate and on the bases recently. Thursday’s epic sport noticed him go 6-6 with three homers, 10 runs batted in and two steals as he completed constructing the 50-50 membership for himself.
He has carried out that whereas additionally rehabbing from final yr’s Tommy John surgical procedure on the aspect and has made sufficient progress that supervisor Dave Roberts lately left the door open to Ohtani taking the mound within the playoffs. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman pushed again on that risk yesterday, telling Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register that Ohtani is “probably not an choice.”
Ohtani has lately thrown six bullpen periods, however Friedman notes {that a} pitcher would usually get to that time in late January whereas making ready for a traditional season. In different phrases, nonetheless a few months away from common season begins. Friedman goes on to level out that following the traditional timeline would have Ohtani doing reside bullpens in mid to late October.
Ohtani and the staff are quickly having a gathering about subsequent steps, however it’s a gathering that has been deliberate for months and isn’t about postseason pitching.
“We aren’t even fascinated about that proper now,” Friedman stated. “Once more, that is like January for him. He’s simply barely a yr out from Tommy John.”
The assembly is extra about whether or not to proceed to reside BPs in October or put his pitching on pause throughout the postseason, with a resumption in November.
“The entire assembly is about how we deal with his rehab to have him in one of the best place to be able to go in ’25 whereas additionally taking the least quantity of toll on him in ’24 as a result of he can have an vital job in October as it’s,” Friedman stated. “Okay – for those who droop it then and do it in November, is that sufficient time or do you ramp him up and have him somewhat bit later (at the beginning of subsequent season)? That’s the stuff we’ve got to get into.”
At this level, it’s typically finest to not doubt Ohtani, who has a robust tendency to silence naysayers. However he’s human, regardless of some proof on the contrary, and the timelines for returning to the mound this yr are bold. It was September 19 of final yr that he went beneath the knife, virtually precisely a yr in the past. If usually takes 14 months or longer to totally come again even when there aren’t any setbacks, so returning within the subsequent month could be on the quick aspect.
That is additionally the second Tommy John of Othani’s profession, as he additionally underwent the process in October of 2018. He didn’t pitch in any respect in 2019 after which solely made two temporary appearances within the shortened 2020 season. Getting back from the second such operation is mostly tougher than doing it the primary time, which ought to give Ohtani and the Dodgers further incentive to play issues cautious.
The thought of Ohtani coming again could have been further tantalizing for some followers due to the continuing damage troubles for Dodger starters. Final yr’s membership received 100 video games, however it limped into the playoffs with an injury-ravaged rotation consisting of Bobby Miller, Lance Lynn and Clayton Kershaw, the latter of whom was clearly battling by shoulder issues. The Diamondbacks laid waste to the Dodgers and swept them out of the playoffs.
This yr, the Dodgers have misplaced Emmet Sheehan, River Ryan and Dustin May to season-ending surgical procedures. Tyler Glasnow and Gavin Stone are each on the IL with arm issues and are unlikely to make it again in October. Tony Gonsolin and Kershaw are additionally on the IL however appear to have some probability of being elements within the playoffs. Gonsolin is presently rehabbing from his personal 2023 Tommy John surgical procedure, whereas Kershaw is attempting to work by a bone spur in his left huge toe.
That leaves the Dodgers presently with Jack Flaherty, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Landon Knack and Walker Buehler as their rotation at this second. Flaherty has been nice this season however had some again issues with the Tigers earlier within the yr, sufficient to reportedly scuttle a deal to the Yankees earlier than the Dodgers swooped in. Yamamoto missed over three months as a consequence of a rotator cuff pressure and isn’t absolutely stretched out but. He made simply two rehab appearances earlier than being activated and has since made two main league begins of 4 innings every. The membership can also be nonetheless planning to present him greater than 4 days of relaxation between every outing, as they’ve carried out all yr. Knack has good outcomes to this point however simply 61 big-league innings beneath his belt. Buehler has a 5.54 ERA on the marketing campaign.
The thought of Ohtani charging over the horizon on his steed to avoid wasting the day would clearly be thrilling however maybe an excessive amount of to ask for. Even a reduction function would have attraction, bringing again reminiscences of Ohtani placing out Mike Trout to shut out the 2023 World Baseball Basic. Maybe there’s some situation the place Ohtani, Friedman, Roberts and different employees members get collectively and the plans change as Ohtani supersedes expectations as soon as once more, however it’s notable that the membership’s chief baseball choice maker is throwing chilly water on the thought.