With a spot in the MLB playoff locked up, the Los Angeles Dodgers have one major goal for the rest of September: get healthy.
Sure, there are sub-storylines to follow, from Josue De Paula filling in at DH, which bullpen arms are getting hot at the right time, and Kyle Tucker figuring it out down the stretch, but for the most part, the Dodgers simply want to take the field in October with their best guys all available for Dave Roberts to call upon.
Fortunately, on Tuesday, Roberts provided fans with some positive updates on that very front, noting that Shohei Ohtani and Andy Pages are trending in the right direction, as reported by The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya.
Article Continues BelowâÂÂSome more from Dave Roberts: Shohei Ohtani hit in the cage today. Hope is still for him to return before the end of the regular season,â Ardaya wrote. âÂÂAndy Pages hit off the machine today. Plan is for him to do Trajekt next. Bullpen game on Thursday.âÂÂ
After breaking his hand in mid-August in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Pages has missed almost a month as he works back from surgery. And as for Ohtani? Well, after missing four games earlier in the month, he returned for one but didn't ultimately look right, landing on the IL to allow him to recover from a series of injuries that have hampered his production down the stretch.
Without Pages and Ohtani, the Dodgers still found a way to manufacture offense, ripping off their longest win streak of the season, but folding that duo back into the fray, especially with De Paula proving he deserves a spot on the bench as a power-hitting pinch hitter, makes LA all the more dangerous down the stretch.

