Shohei Ohtani is close to returning to the mound, but unlike a normal pitcher, the Los Angeles Dodgers cannot send him on a rehab assignment without sacrificing some offense.
Instead, Ohtani is expected to build up through big-league games, like he did last year. It is possible that he starts on Sunday with a bulk pitcher behind him, but a final decision has not been made. Dave Roberts spoke on the possibility on Thursday and noted that Tyler Glasnow will be ready to start or pitch behind Ohtani.
Dave Roberts said Tyler Glasnow will be ready on Sunday to either pitch after Ohtani or start the game. #Dodgers #Tigers
— David Vassegh (@THEREAL_DV) August 27, 2026
Glasnow made his return on Tuesday, going five innings against the Atlanta Braves. The Dodgers have Tarik Skubal and Blake Snell lined up for the first two games of the Detroit Tigers series, pitching on their normal rest. If Glasnow starts, he will be on four days' rest.
Ohtani will likely require a piggyback for a while before he is ready for a full workload. Last year it took him 11 games to reach the five-inning mark in his build-up. However, that was after an entire season off from pitching. It will likely be a quicker build-up for him this time.
The Dodgers just placed Roki Sasaki on the injured list, meaning Eric Lauer will return to the rotation for the time being. The Dodgers are also hoping Justin Wrobleski can return soon. They have plenty of options in the rotation, but their preference would certainly be to have Ohtani back to pitching like he was before the injury. He had gone six innings in all but one of his starts and had a 1.79 ERA.
A rotation of Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Snell, Glasnow, Ohtani and Sasaki is the best in all of baseball.