There continues to be no set date for when Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani will toe the slab.
The carousel ride continues for the Los Angeles Dodgers regarding their two-way star, Shohei Ohtani.
For the past week, Ohtani has been gradually building up his pitching progression, which includes facing live hitters at Dodger Stadium and a handful of bullpen sessions.
All signs pointed upward to Ohtani potentially rejoining the rotation as an opener for Sunday's game against the Detroit Tigers, but his latest 20-pitch bullpen session on Friday raised doubts for Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
Roberts said before Saturday's loss via SportsNetLA that he believes he's not "100%" as he continues to work around his recurring left knee discomfort.
In the postgame following the 2-1 loss to the Tigers, Roberts clarified that Ohtani will not be pitching on Sunday or Tuesday when the Dodgers return home to play the St.Louis Cardinals.
That nagging left knee has been the sole reason as to why Ohtani has not been able to toe the slab since July 3. Ohtani's right bicep has also flared up in the process, as Roberts said via SportsNetLA, his "overall body" is just as sore.
With the recent revelation, Tyler Glasnow, who would have started behind Ohtani on Sunday, will take full starter responsibility.
The buildup for Ohtani continues to reach steep mountain tops, and if the Dodgers truly prioritize the number of starts he gets, the timetable could be greatly affected.
Ohtani would only be able to start less than five times throughout the month of September if he were to pitch on Sunday. Roberts added last week that his ramp-up would be more aggressive due to the right-hander already logging 10 starts (1.79 ERA) before his shutdown.
In the meantime, the Dodgers and Roberts could hope that his offensive numbers continue to rise. Ohtani is slashing .283/.383/.535 with an OPS of .918 in 488 at-bats.
On the flip side, the Dodgers can continue to give Ohtani as much time as he can to ramp up or completely shut him down from pitching. Blake Snell has not skipped a beat in his four starts since coming off the Injured List, and that was evident in his latest start, striking out 10 in five innings in the loss on Saturday.
Tarik Skubal continues to trend upward with his new club, striking out seven in six innings against his former team during Friday's series opener.
August turns to September in a matter of days, and with the Dodgers' lack of offense providing no sense of relief —paired with the uncertainty of Ohtani's return to the mound— many eyes will look towards their almost healthy rotation to lift them throughout the last month of the regular season.
