Shohei Ohtani looked 'really good' throwing 3 simulated innings in San Diego

 Shohei Ohtani is moving ever closer to his first pitching appearance for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In fact, there's now a chance his fans might not even have to wait until the All-Star break.

Ohtani looked sharp while throwing three simulated innings on Tuesday at Petco Park before the Dodgers faced the San Diego Padres, manager Dave Roberts said. The outing was another significant step in Ohtani's recovery from the elbow surgery that has prevented the two-way superstar from pitching since he signed with the Dodgers before last season.

Ohtani threw just under 50 pitches to two minor league hitters during the third simulated game in his gradual comeback to the mound. The three-time MVP used his fastball and sweeper impressively, according to Roberts and Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior.

"I thought he was really good," Roberts said. "I thought the fastball had life. I thought the sweeper was really good. ... (The hitters) said the stuff was coming out really well. It was about 44 pitches or something like that, so it was really good."

The Dodgers have been cagey about the timeline for Ohtani's return to the mound, with Roberts suggesting in recent weeks that it might not happen until after the All-Star break.

But after Ohtani's latest mound outing, Roberts now says the chance of Ohtani pitching in a game before the All-Star break begins July 14 is "north of zero."

Los Angeles Dodgers Shohei Ohtani (17) chats with coaches after pitching a bullpen session. Ohtani increased his limit during his last session in San Diego as he threw three simulated innings. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

"It doesn't have to be a full buildup, because anything that he can give us is certainly going to be additive,"