ATLANTA -- Shohei Ohtani threw off the mound prior to Saturday’s game against the Braves for the second time since he went on paternity leave on April 18.
Ohtani, who underwent a right UCL repair in 2023, threw 31 pitches on April 26 in his first bullpen session since taking leave. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani threw 35 pitches on Saturday.
“From what I hear, he was ramping it up a little bit more with the velocity,” Roberts said. “It was another good one.”
During an in-game interview on the FOX broadcast on Saturday -- shortly after Ohtani hit his eighth homer -- Roberts said the right-hander is a couple of months away from pitching in a game.
“Hopefully at some point in time we're gonna start getting him to face some hitters, do some simulated games, start throwing some sliders,” Roberts said. “So, I think if you just look at the natural progression, he's still a couple of months away.”
Ohtani is still not throwing his slider and will not face batters until he can throw his full arsenal.
“I think it’s more [of a] medical [decision],” Roberts said. "I think it’s just the strain on the elbow. That’s the thought. I don’t know when that’s [going to] change.”
Once Ohtani resumes facing hitters, the Dodgers should have a better idea of a prospective timeline. But there are several boxes to check before he gets to that point, among them mixing in offspeed pitches and doing an up-down in the bullpen.
“I think the [decision about when he’ll start facing live batters] is more for [team doctor Neal] ElAttrache, talking to our trainer and talking to Shohei,” Roberts said. “I think those three are driving the process.”