By Alfredo Echenique Lugo
Sep 13, 2024, 7:40 PM EDT
It’s been just over a year since Shohei Ohtani suffered a torn ligament in his right elbow, which has prevented him from pitching for the entire 2024 season with his new team, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
However, the Japanese appears to be making a rapid recovery after undergoing Tommy John surgery last December. So much so that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts recently said he wouldn’t rule out Ohtani’s possible appearance as a pitcher in the playoffs this year.
“I wouldn’t say by any means. I’m not going to 100 percent close the door on him being able to help us off the mound in the playoffs,” Roberts said of Ohtani’s development as a pitcher.
A recent report by the Los Angeles Times suggests that Roberts would be willing to use Ohtani in the playoffs if the situation warrants it.
“If I were writing a movie or a book, I wouldn’t be surprised if he came out of rehab and showed up for the final playoff pitch,” the Californian team’s manager explained.
However, Roberts knows how risky it would be to rush Ohtani’s return as a pitcher. That’s why he prefers to remain cautious and patient so that he can return to 100% by 2025.
“The problem is he hasn’t really pitched in over a year. If he were to go out and it goes wrong, it’s not worth the potential injury. You can’t duplicate the stress of that inning. I don’t think it’s worth it,” he added.
Ohtani’s last start as a pitcher was when he was still playing with the Angels on August 23, 2023. On that occasion against the Cincinnati Reds he had to leave the game after pitching just 1.1 innings due to discomfort in his elbow.
Last season, in 23 starts as a pitcher, Ohtani posted a 3.14 ERA with a 10-5 record, with 167 strikeouts. So when his throwing arm is 100% recovered, he will surely be a very important piece in the Dodgers’ rotation.
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