Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani's planned return to the rotation may be on hold after he experienced continued discomfort in his troublesome left knee after his Friday bullpen session. "I don't think he's 100%," manager Dave Roberts said of Ohtani prior to the Dodgers' Saturday game against the Detroit Tigers, via ESPN. The club has tentative plans to give Ohtani a start on the mound on Sunday, but now those plans are uncertain.
Ohtani pitched a 30-pitch simulated game last weekend, which suggested good progress. However, his Friday bullpen lasted just 20 pitches and didn't yield the desired results with regard to the fitness of his knee. Ohtani hasn't pitched since July 3 because of that persistent knee inflammation.
As well, his return to the mound has been complicated by a biceps issue. During that time, however, he has continued to serve as the Dodgers' regular designated hitter at the top of the lineup. Prior to the knee issues, Ohtani had been looking like a National League Cy Young candidate in this, his age-31 campaign: Even as his body has not cooperated with Ohtani the pitcher, Ohtani the hitter has continued to serve as the Dodgers' every-day DH.
Once again, he's produced at a high level: "His value offensively is hugely important, and so we can't compromise that in any fashion," Roberts said on Saturday. "If throwing potentially cuts into that, that's not worth the squeeze." The deadline trade for Tarik Skubal helped the Dodgers' rotation depth, as did the recent returns of Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell. On the downside, Roki Sasaki (blisters) and Justin Wrobleski (forearm inflammation) were recently placed on the injured list.
That, plus Ohtani's lack of pitching availability, have forced the Dodgers to turn to Eric Lauer as their likely fifth starter for the moment. While Ohtani and the Dodgers (81-54) have a comfortable lead in the NL West, they're still in a heated battle for seeding with their fellow division leaders. The top two division champions in each league get a first-round bye in the playoffs, and right now the Dodgers are only one game ahead of the Atlanta Braves for the second bye.
Elsewhere, Ohtani is angling to win an MVP award for a fourth straight year. However, Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs is the betting favorite right now (-390 at FanDuel), and that's in part because Ohtani (+300) has been able to make just 14 starts on the mound.
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