Shohei Ohtani’s expected return to the mound just hit a major snag this week, and honestly, it’s a real kick in the teeth. The Dodgers actually *delayed* his Saturday bullpen session, and the reason? A straight-up “regression” in his knee. You hear that word “regression” and immediately your stomach drops, right? This isn’t just a little hiccup, folks.
That Knee Is Still Giving Ohtani Trouble
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts didn’t try to sugarcoat it, and you gotta appreciate the honesty. He confirmed the delay was directly because of a “regression” in Ohtani’s knee after he’d already thrown a bullpen earlier this week. It means things weren’t getting better, they were getting worse. Roberts even flat out admitted that Ohtani taking a step backward in his recovery was “not ideal.” That’s manager-speak for “this absolutely stinks and we’re frustrated.” We get it.
It also means that his previous treatment hasn’t fully done the trick yet. Before the All-Star break, Roberts made it clear that Ohtani didn’t need his knee drained, which was a small sigh of relief at the time. But he did get a “lubricant injection,” and even then, Roberts said returning to the mound would “take some time” and definitely wasn’t a “day-to-day thing.” Well, “some time” is now stretching out longer than anyone hoped. His last time pitching was way back on July 3, and there’s still zero timetable for him to toe the rubber again. We’re all just in a holding pattern, waiting for good news.
Still Crushing It at the Plate While Waiting
Now, let’s not forget, before this knee soreness and minor injury really flared up, Ohtani was absolutely electric on the mound. He’d made 14 starts, combined for a ridiculous 1.79 ERA, and punched out 95 batters in just 85.2 innings of work. That’s Cy Young level stuff right there, pure dominance. Losing that kind of production is tough for any team.
But here’s the thing about a two-way player: even when one part isn’t working, the other can still be legendary. Ohtani is still out there every single day, serving as Los Angeles’ primary designated hitter, and he’s doing serious damage. He’s slashing .286/.392/.527 with 22 home runs and 62 RBI through 95 games. Those are monstrous numbers from the plate, keeping him in the MVP conversation even without pitching. The Dodgers, meanwhile, are basically unfazed. They’ve got so much talent and depth that they’ve been “fine” without his added boost on the mound, cruising to a league-best 66-38 record as of July 25.
So, while we’re all bummed about the pitching delay, we can still cheer on his monster swings. Roberts still fully expects Ohtani to pitch again “at some point this season,” so for now, we wait. And we root for that knee to get 100% right.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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