Shohei Ohtani is still recovering from the injuries that have kept him off the field in recent weeks. Dave Roberts hopes to have his star player back as the Los Angeles Dodgers look to complete the long-awaited three-peat.
“He came out of it well,” Roberts said after Ohtani hit coach-pitch batting practice on Friday. “I think for me, I’m just really waiting to hear when he’s going to get on the field, let alone take live BP or Trajekt. And he’s not there yet. But everything I’ve heard, it’s been a really productive last three to four to five days. He’s in a good spot.”
Days ago, the Dodgers clinched their spot in the postseason, and now all eyes are on making another trip to the World Series. For this team, having Ohtani available by then could be crucial.
Ohtani wants to return at 100%
Dodgers fans held their breath when Shohei Ohtani hit the 15-day injured list earlier this September after dealing with a pesky combination of right biceps inflammation and knee soreness. The two-way superstar officially went on the shelf on September 10 (backdated to September 8) after lingering discomfort kept him out of multiple lineups.
Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the dugout.
Fortunately, it looks like a short-term hit rather than a long-term disaster—Ohtani is eligible to return as early as September 23 for the final stretch of the regular season, though he’s putting his pitching program on pause to focus purely on bringing his massive bat back to the DH spot for October.
Dodgers’ final stretch
Before stepping into the October pressure cooker, the Dodgers are closing out the regular season with an all-NL West gauntlet that will test their postseason readiness. They wrap up their current home series against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium on September 19 and 20, before staying put in Los Angeles to host a high-stakes three-game clash against the San Diego Padres from September 22 to 24.
Finally, Chavez Ravine gets a breather as LA travels up north to Oracle Park for one last three-game rivalry rematch against the Giants from September 25 to 27. It’s a pure divisional stretch run to fine-tune the roster and tune up the bats before the real drama begins.
