The Los Angeles Dodgers are ramping up Shohei Ohtani to pitch again this weekend.
The biggest news coming out of the Los Angeles Dodgers' first series from the All-Star break was that of Shohei Ohtani and his pitching availability moving forward in the second half.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told the media on Sunday that Ohtani would be shut down from pitching and would not make his next start against the Philadelphia Phillies this upcoming Wednesday.
"It's gonna be some time, and I'd say that it's not gonna be a day-to-day thing," Roberts told Sonja Chen of MLB.com.
Roberts provided the latest update on Ohtani as the Dodgers begin their three-game trek against the Phillies starting on Monday. Roberts said that Ohtani has continued to throw since the announcement of his time off from the mound and could throw a bullpen session this weekend when Los Angeles is at Citi Field playing the New York Mets, according to Chen.
Once Ohtani comes off his latest bullpen session, this could provide the Dodgers with some clarity on whether or not his left knee is still bothering him.
Ohtani stated before the break that he feels his knee bothers him more when he is pitching rather than hitting.
But, regardless of how he comes off the mound, there is still no definite timetable for his return to the Dodgers' starting rotation.
This stoppage of Ohtani acting as a two-way player has brought up many what-ifs, and that has to do with the Trade Deadline being just two weeks away.
The Dodgers have had their name tied with two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal since last year's deadline, but according to Katie Woo of The Athletic, the Dodgers will not fully dip their hand into either the catchers or pitchers market.
A plan to bolster an already top-tier farm system is priority number one for president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and the Dodgers. The biggest acquisitions will come from within the organization, with numerous arms such as Blake Snell, Edwin Díaz and Tyler Glasnow making their way back from injuries.
In the meantime, the Dodgers can ease their way through that process as they are sitting atop the National League West standings with an 11.5-game lead over the San Diego Padres.
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