Dodgers make Shohei Ohtani announcement on pitching return progress

Billy Heyen

Dodgers make Shohei Ohtani announcement on pitching return progress image

Another chunk of days gone by, another Shohei Ohtani bullpen session.

That's the good news for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

On Saturday, Ohtani threw a 35-pitch bullpen.

He "increased his intensity," manager Dave Roberts told reporters.

Ohtani still isn't throwing sliders, meaning he's still with fastballs and splitters for the time being.

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The two-way superstar hasn't pitched since August of 2023. In between leaving the Angels for the Dodgers, Ohtani underwent Tommy John surgery.

That meant he was limited to DHing in 2024, and he put up the first 50-50 HR-SB season in MLB history.

He's off to a strong start to 2025, as well, and is recently a first-time father to a new baby girl.

Roberts said earlier in the season the Dodgers will be patient and hope to get Ohtani back for the second half and the postseason.

As long as he keeps taking his bullpen sessions consistently and doesn't have to miss them, it seems like Ohtani is moving in the right direction toward a return to MLB mounds.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle