Shohei Ohtani's odds as playoff pitcher 'not zero,' Dodgers say - ESPN

ATLANTA — The thought of Shohei Ohtani pitching in the playoffs is suddenly not impossible, even if it might still be unlikely.

Speaking Friday, a little over an hour after frontline starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow suffered another setback in his recovery from elbow tendinitis, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts left open the possibility of Ohtani being an option on the mound in October, saying it's «not a 0 percent chance.»

Ohtani, who underwent a second repair of his right ulnar collateral ligament 12 months ago, has been throwing semiregular bullpen sessions and could progress to facing hitters before the end of September. The likelier plan had been for Ohtani to shut down his throwing program in October, then restart it relatively early in the offseason to prepare for his return as a two-way player in 2025.

Under another potential scenario, though, Ohtani would keep throwing, then could be an option for the Dodgers in the later postseason rounds if they get there.

«Anything's possible,» said Roberts, who had joined Dodgers front office members in squashing the idea when it came up in previous instances this season. «This is something that is a long-term play. We still have a lot of work to do to get to October and through October. I hope that's on his mind, as far as motivation for his rehab. The odds of it coming to pass are very slim, but they're not zero.»

The consideration — and the pivot in their thinking, however slight — speaks to the uncertainty of the Dodgers' rotation. Yoshinobu Yamamoto recently pitched in a major league game for the first time in about three months, striking out eight Chicago Cubs batters in four innings. Though the outing was encouraging, the Dodgers still have plenty of questions