Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani throws first bullpen of spring - ESPN

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Dozens of photographers, camera operators and reporters fixed their eyes on the bullpen mounds that reside directly behind the Los Angeles Dodgers spring training complex on Saturday morning, where Shohei Ohtani took another step — a rather significant one — toward his return to a two-way role.

On 14 occasions, Ohtani settled atop a pitching rubber, went through the mechanics of his windup and fired fastballs in the direction of Dodgers catcher Will Smith, constituting his first official bullpen session of the year.

Ohtani isn't expected to join the Dodgers' rotation until some time in May and won't pitch in any Cactus League games before the team flies to Tokyo, Japan, to begin its season in the middle of March. At this point, the steps are relatively minor. He still needs to increase the intensity of his throws — his fastballs ranged from 92 to 94 mph on Saturday, a handful of ticks below what it will be in games — and incorporate breaking pitches off a mound.

But Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said it's «very feasible» for Ohtani to face hitters at some point in March. What follows will require creativity, mostly due to a lack of precedent. Ohtani will spend April navigating through the final stages of his rehab while acting as an important member of the Dodgers' lineup, a set of circumstances not even Ohtani, the first two-way star since Babe Ruth, has ever experienced.

«It's going to be unique and we're going to have to do it on the fly,» Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior said. «We saw what he did last year trying to rehab and hit. That seemed to turn out pretty well, at least on the offensive side of the ball. It's probably going to be some version of that. Great thing is, Shohei's really dedicated