Shohei Ohtani was having a stellar season on the mound before a knee injury and bicep issue forced the Los Angeles Dodgers to shut him down for a while.
However, the four-time MVP is close to returning to the mound. He threw threw long-toss from about 120 feet on Monday. He threw a bullpen session recently as well and is eyeing another on Tuesday.
"It felt good the next day, and I should be throwing another one if I feel good tomorrow,” Ohtani said through an interpreter, per MLB.com's Patrick Saunders. “The hope (is to return soon), and that’s why we’ve been pretty careful during the rehab process.
“The ideal outcome is to make sure I come back as soon as possible.”
Ohtani has made 14 starts with a 2.21 ERA before he was shut down. He had gone at least six innings in all but one of those starts, and was genuinely putting himself in Cy Young Award discussions. Ultimately, it's unlikely he would have won the Cy Young Award given the season Jacob Misiorowski is having, but Ohtani was one of the best pitchers in the National League.
He has been getting the job done as a hitter, leading the National League in OPS. However, getting him back on the mound will be huge for the Dodgers. With Justin Wrobleski on the injured list, Tyler Glasnow is expected to take his spot in the rotation next week.
When Ohtani is ready, he will likely bump Eric Lauer to the bullpen. However, Ohtani's return to the rotation will give the bullpen a major boost simply because it will give them an extra arm. The Dodgers use a six-man rotation, but Ohtani does not count against the 13-pitcher limit on the 26-man roster. That allows them to use six starters without sacrificing a bullpen arm like other teams. With Ohtani out, they have had to use a short bullpen.
On top of all of that, Pete Crow-Armstrong has at the very least caught up to Ohtani in the MVP race. Ohtani is one home run shy of him and has not been stealing bases this year. His return to the mound could be the only thing that helps him pull ahead in the NL MVP race now.