Shohei Ohtani has been placing collectively an MVP season on the plate and on the bases currently. Yesterday’s epic sport noticed him go 6-6 with three homers, ten runs batted in and two steals as he completed constructing the 50/50 membership for himself.
He has achieved that whereas additionally rehabbing from final 12 months’s Tommy John surgical procedure on the aspect and has made sufficient progress that supervisor Dave Roberts just lately left the door open to Ohtani taking the mound within the playoffs. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman pushed again on that risk yesterday, telling Invoice Plunkett of the Orange County Register that Ohtani is “probably not an possibility.”
Ohtani has just lately thrown six bullpen periods however Friedman notes {that a} pitcher would usually get to that time in late January whereas making ready for a traditional season. In different phrases, nonetheless a few months away from common season begins. Friedman goes on to level out that following the traditional timeline would have Ohtani doing stay bullpens in mid to late October.
Ohtani and the workforce are quickly having a gathering about subsequent steps, however it’s a gathering that has been deliberate for months and isn’t about postseason pitching. “We aren’t even occupied with that proper now,” Friedman stated. “Once more, that is like January for him. He’s simply barely a 12 months out from Tommy John.” The assembly is extra about whether or not to proceed to stay BPs in October or put his pitching on pause through the postseason, with a resumption in November.
“The entire assembly is about how we deal with his rehab to have him in the perfect place to be able to go in ’25 whereas additionally taking the least quantity of toll on him in ’24 as a result of he may have an necessary job in October as it’s,” Friedman stated. “Okay – in case you droop it then and do it in November, is that sufficient time or do you ramp him up and have him just a little bit later (at the beginning of subsequent season)? That’s the stuff we’ve got to get into.”
At this level, it’s usually finest to not doubt Ohtani, who has a powerful tendency to silence naysayers. However he’s human, regardless of some proof on the contrary, and the timelines for returning to the mound this 12 months are formidable. It was September 19 of final 12 months that he went beneath the knife, nearly precisely a 12 months in the past. If typically takes 14 months or longer to totally come again even when there are not any setbacks, so returning within the subsequent month can be on the quick aspect.
That is additionally the second Tommy John of Othani’s profession, as he additionally underwent the process in October of 2018. He didn’t pitch in any respect in 2019 after which solely made two temporary appearances within the shortened 2020 season. Coming back from the second such operation is usually more difficult than doing it the primary time, which ought to give Ohtani and the Dodgers additional incentive to play issues cautious.
The thought of Ohtani coming again might have been additional tantalizing for some followers due to the continued harm troubles for Dodger starters. Final 12 months’s membership received 100 video games however they limped into the playoffs with an injury-ravaged rotation consisting of Bobby Miller, Lance Lynn and Clayton Kershaw, the latter of whom was clearly battling by means of shoulder issues. The Diamondbacks laid waste to the Dodgers and swept them out of the playoffs.
This 12 months, the Dodgers have misplaced Emmet Sheehan, River Ryan and Dustin Might to season-ending surgical procedures. Tyler Glasnow and Gavin Stone are each on the IL with arm issues and are unlikely to make it again in October. Tony Gonsolin and Kershaw are additionally on the IL however appear to have some probability of being components within the playoffs. Gonsolin is at the moment rehabbing from his personal 2023 Tommy John surgical procedure whereas Kershaw is making an attempt to work by means of a bone spur in his left huge toe.
That leaves the Dodgers at the moment with Jack Flaherty, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Landon Knack and Walker Buehler as their rotation at this second. Flaherty has been nice this season however had some again issues with the Tigers earlier within the 12 months, sufficient to reportedly scuttle a deal to the Yankees earlier than the Dodgers swooped in. Yamamoto missed over three months because of a rotator cuff pressure and isn’t totally stretched out but. He made simply two rehab appearances earlier than being activated and has since made two main league begins of 4 innings every. The membership can also be nonetheless planning to provide him greater than 4 days of relaxation between every outing, as they’ve achieved all 12 months. Knack has good outcomes to this point however simply 61 huge league innings beneath his belt. Buehler has a 5.54 ERA on the marketing campaign.
The thought of Ohtani charging over the horizon on his steed to avoid wasting the day would clearly be thrilling however maybe an excessive amount of to ask for. Even a aid function would have enchantment, bringing again reminiscences of Ohtani putting out Mike Trout to shut out the 2023 World Baseball Traditional. Maybe there’s some state of affairs the place Ohtani, Friedman, Roberts and different workers members get collectively and the plans change as Ohtani supersedes expectations as soon as once more, however it’s notable that the membership’s chief baseball resolution maker is throwing chilly water on the thought.