Should Ohtani Continue to Pitch in 2026 for Dodgers?

The baseball calendar has now turned to September.

That's 26 more days until the Los Angeles Dodgers continue their quest for a three-peat in a campaign that hasn't fared them well as of late. Coming off a month of August where the club went 13-14, both sides of the field lacked something throughout the losing streaks and even during the winning strides.  

But one thing remained constant: Shohei Ohtani did not return to the mound. 

Ohtani's last start came on July 3 when he struck out nine across six innings in the 4-3 win over the San Diego Padres. Since then, injuries and setbacks have piled up for the 32-year-old two-way star. 

Whether it's the swollen left knee or the flaring right bicep, the Dodgers and skipper Dave Roberts have been working diligently with Ohtani, with one clear goal: to get him back on the mound to pitch come October. 

Cicrumstances have not turned in the Dodgers favor. 

Then again, Los Angeles is and should not be pushing the urgent red button when it comes to Ohtani pitching. 

When the Dodgers completed the blockbuster trade of acquiring Tarik Skubal at this year's Trade Deadline, it gave the precedents that the Dodgers took it upon themselves to take matters into their own hands if Ohtani could not return to the rubber.

Even with the back-to-back Cy Young Award winner in their left pocket and beginning to catch his own flair with his new club, the Dodgers persisted and began ramping up Ohtani on the pitching side just weeks later. 

Los Angeles would take a more aggressive approach when it came to his ramp-up, according to manager Dave Roberts, seeing as though he had already logged in an ERA below two (1.79) in 14 games started. 

Things looked up for Ohtani, as he had punched in a handful of bullpen sessions and even completed a 30-pitch live session tossing to Will Smith at Dodgers Stadium back on Aug. 22. 

Six days later, he threw what would be the make-or-break bullpen session at Comerica Park when the team played a series against the Detroit Tigers. Roberts was not convinced that Ohtani came out of his shortened 20-pitch bullpen session well and listed him as not "100%." 

Roberts admittingly said that both the bicep and knee have not yet fully healed, according to Jack Harris of the California Post. This, in turn, cut what was supposed to be his return to the mound in the series finale into yet another instance filled with question marks. 

There's more reason to believe that the Dodgers do want Ohtani to contribute on the pitching side of things when the Postseason arrives, but the starting rotation is shaping out in September. 

Since returning from the Injured List, both Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell have not skipped a beat. Roki Sasaki is on the IL with a blister, but he'll be catapulted into his old role in the bullpen for the remainder of the year. 

Pair all of that up, and the Dodgers have a solidified starting rotation and bullpen for a title defense.

So, where does Ohtani fit in? 

At his normal spot in the starting lineup, leading off as the designated hitter.

The numbers over his last 30 at-bats are not up to standards (.133/.188/.233), and the National League MVP race is falling into the hands of Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong. 

The Dodgers have not yet confirmed whether or not they will continue to ramp up Ohtani on the pitching front. But with 25 games left and plenty of area to cover, it's better to cut their hopes for his return to the mound and look ahead to building Ohtani back to his regular hitting form.