For much of the season, Shohei Ohtani was the MVP frontrunner, but things have changed in a hurry.
He has not pitched since the All-Star break, after being stellar on the mound through his 14 starts. He has been dealing with knee and biceps injuries, but his offense was still great until it wasn't. Ohtani's injuries started impacting his play at the plate, and the Dodgers tried to manage it with off days before putting him on the injured list.
Ohtani is eligible to return from the injured list before the regular season ends, and the Dodgers anticipate that he will be ready to go when the time comes. However, whether the time off actually allowed him to get back to 100% is unknown.
“Feels normal…ish,” manager Dave Roberts said of Ohtani, who started up activity on Tuesday, per The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya.
Ohtani did not report any discomfort after starting up baseball activities again, which is good, but his injuries may simply be something he has to manage the rest of the way. However, the Dodgers are hoping that the time on the injured list at least gets him to a point where he can manage things and be productive.
Since Aug. 8, when he started a throwing progression to try and get back in the rotation, Ohtani is slashing .198/.294/.396 with just four home runs. He did not complain about the injuries impacting his swing until the Dodgers until a four-strikeout game on Sept. 2. The Dodgers are hoping the extended time off will get him back on track.