Ohtani ‘feeling good’ after his Dodgers pitching debut and could return to mound this weekend

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Shohei Ohtani came out of his pitching debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers in good order, even if he was his own worst critic.

The two-way superstar from Japan gave up a run and a pair of two-strike hits in one inning of work Monday night against San Diego as he returned from right elbow surgery. It was his first outing since August 2023 with the Los Angeles Angels.

At the plate, he had two hits and two RBIs in the Dodgers’ 6-3 win.

“I think he’s just a little fatigued but feels good,” manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday.

Ohtani was in his usual leadoff spot as the designated hitter Tuesday night against the Padres. He’ll likely throw a light bullpen in the next few days.

“Not quite happy with the results overall,” he said through a translator. “But I think the biggest takeaway for me is that I feel good enough to be able to go out for my next outing.”

He threw 28 pitches – 16 for strikes – and his fastball topped out at 100.2 mph – the second-hardest pitch thrown by a Dodgers hurler this season.

“What I noticed is that when I warm up to pitch in the game, I’m already really warmed up going into the game,” he said. “So I did feel a lot better overall than when I’m just DHing.”

Roberts indicated Ohtani could pitch Saturday or Sunday when the Washington Nationals are in town.

“It’s kind of a week situation,” he said, “but it’s not like a hard and fast seven days.”

The Dodgers open a six-game trip at Colorado on Tuesday, but it seems unlikely Ohtani would pitch in Denver’s high altitude where the thin air reduces the movement of pitches, particularly fastballs and curveballs, and favors hitters.

The team has the option to add an inning in his next start or keep him at one. The decision will be made between the medical staff and Ohtani, Roberts said.

Carefully and cautiously.

Despite a pitching staff that has been decimated by injuries, the team is not putting pressure on their $700 million man.

In fact, it was Ohtani who told the Dodgers he wanted to test himself in a big league game rather than face hitters in simulated at-bats as he’d been doing over the last three weeks.

“This is a unique situation,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said. “We have to make sure that we’re also keeping one of our best hitters in the lineup. So much of it is the back and forth and how he’s feeling and making sure that every step we’ve done along the way is just erring on the side of caution.”

The Dodgers have eight starters, including Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell and Japanese rookie phenom Roki Sasaki, and six relievers on the injured list.

Glasnow (shoulder) threw about 40 pitches over two innings in a live batting practice session Tuesday. The right-hander looked “really good,” Roberts said.

Glasnow could throw a bullpen in a few days and go on a minor league rehab assignment soon.

Blake Snell (shoulder) threw a bullpen Monday.

Sasaki (shoulder) has been shut down from throwing after not feeling comfortable. He’s been out since May 9 and Roberts has said “we have to plan on life without him as far as this year.”

Emmet Sheehan takes the mound for the Dodgers on Wednesday, his first start in the majors since his rookie year in 2023. He had Tommy John surgery in May 2024.