Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani takes another step toward mound return - ESPN

SAN DIEGO — Shohei Ohtani took a significant step in his pitching progression early Tuesday afternoon, firing 44 pitches over the course of three simulated innings from Petco Park. Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts later said there is a «north of zero» chance Ohtani joins the team's rotation before the All-Star break.

At this point, at least, Ohtani seems more likely to return as a pitcher in July as opposed to August, the latter of which previously seemed like the more logical target. The biggest reason, outside of how impressed Dodgers officials have been with Ohtani's command despite a near-two-year hiatus from pitching: The extra roster spot afforded to them.

Ohtani carries a «two-way player» designation, which, according to a rule established by Major League Baseball in 2019, allows him to pitch without counting toward a team's 13-pitcher limit. As the 14th pitcher, the Dodgers are afforded the luxury of bringing Ohtani back before he is fully stretched out like a traditional starter. In other words, they can initially have Ohtani make two- to three-inning starts and have another pitcher lined up behind him to serve as essentially a piggyback starter.

«It certainly doesn't have to be a full buildup,» Roberts said, «because anything that he can give us is certainly additive.»

Roberts added, though, that Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who performed the second repair of Ohtani's ulnar collateral ligament in September 2023, and the Dodgers' athletic training staff will continue to set the pace of his recovery. The team will continue to adjust accordingly — like it did by pushing Ohtani's latest session back a day because he fouled a ball off his foot in St. Louis on Sunday.

An added layer is the Dodgers' pitching