Even as the Dodgers are getting back Shohei Ohtani on the mound, the banged-up Los Angeles pitching staff suffered another blow.
The Dodgers announced Ohtani will start on Monday night against the Padres, making his first appearance on an MLB mound since August 23, 2023, and marking the first time he’s pitched since signing a massive contract with Los Angeles during the winter of that same year.
Earlier on Sunday, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had teased the idea that Ohtani could “potentially” return to the mound in the near future, before the team announced the reigning NL MVP’s mound return after a 5-4 win over the Giants on Sunday
However, he would only be getting a few innings on the mound, but Roberts added that anything that Ohtani could give the club would be “additive.”
Ohtani has been recovering from elbow surgery that he underwent in 2023.
But even as Roberts shared that positive piece of news, the Dodgers were still dealing with another situation with their pitching staff. He said the team is having to “plan on life without” Roki Sasaki for “as far as this year.”
The Japanese pitcher has been out since May 9 and has been working his way back from a shoulder impingement.
Sasaki has been “not comfortable” and Roberts said that he is “not feeling that he can ramp it up.”
“I don’t know if it’s pain… it’s more of a question for Roki, to be quite honest with you,” Roberts said, according to the Los Angeles Times. “As far as kind of the sensation, I don’t — it’s discomfort. I don’t think it’s pain. It’s tightness.”
Sasaki is in his first season in the majors after signing a deal to join the Dodgers and come over from Japan.
He’s gone 1-1 with a 4.72 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 24 strikeouts.
The Dodgers, who also have starters Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow on the IL, came into play Sunday night with a two-game lead over the Giants in the NL West.
