Dodgers’ Andrew Friedman reveals what’s delaying Shohei Ohtani’s pitching return

Shohei Ohtani has been absent from the mound for quite some time now. Following a slew of injuries that hampered his pitching, the Los Angeles Dodgers have kept the reigning MVP off the mound for the last month or so. Despite Ohtani’s efforts to recover, the star is still unable to return as a pitcher. 

The Dodgers’ president of baseball operations, Andrew Friedman, talked a little bit about why Ohtani still hasn’t returned as a pitcher. Friedman says that the reason why LA is being cautious is that they do not want their star to incur more injuries. Their main concern is another potential injury if Ohtani plays through his current issues.

“The concern is Ohtani overcompensating while the knee heals, which is why he won’t be rushed back,” Katie Woo reported. “He downplayed Ohtani’s bicep soreness as well. ‘If it weren’t for the knee, he would be pitching right now.'”

Ohtani hasn’t pitched in a game since July 4 due to recurring knee troubles. Further complicating matters for the Dodgers is the star pitcher’s bicep strain that has bothered him during that period as well. Ohtani was scheduled for a bullpen throwing session, but that session was scrapped after the star reported further discomfort.

“My biceps (is) not 100 percent,” Ohtani said through an interpreter, per RealGM. “Just similar issue with the knee. Do we consider pushing this? It is still July. So I think the conversation would be a little different if we’re in August or September.”

It’s worth noting that Ohtani the hitter hasn’t been ruled out of commission yet. The Dodgers continue to deploy the reigning MVP as their designated hitter, though that hasn’t exactly yielded the best results so far. Ohtani’s OPS dropped to a measly (by his standards) .807 in the month of July after a monstrous 1.091 in June. While the Japanese star has said that his knee issue hasn’t affected his hitting, one has to wonder if that’s truly the case.

With the Dodgers holding a comfortable 11-game lead in the NL West, they are completely comfortable letting Ohtani sit out the next pitching sessions to get him right. If Ohtani’s knee doesn’t improve, though, you have to wonder if fully benching the star to allow him to fully recover is the play.

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