Shohei Ohtani’s return to the mound for the Los Angeles Dodgers remains uncertain for the foreseeable future.
Ohtani participated in a bullpen session on Wednesday, July 22 in Philadelphia and is scheduled for another session on Saturday, July 25 in New York.
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The sessions could be considered a step forward, but they are not expected to start next week.
“It’s still very early,” Dodger manager Dave Roberts told reporters. “I feel very happy that it won’t be next week.”
The two-way star was pulled from his scheduled start before the MLB All-Star break due to inflammation and irritation in his left knee.
“Every player wants to get back out there and do what they do. But I think he understands that it’s not July, it’s probably October,” Roberts said. “So, we’ve already taken a lot of time to get him back to full health, so we’re not going to start any sooner than we need to.”
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Ohtani was scheduled to start on Wednesday, but the organization decided against this, as it was expected to monitor the work of this star player in the second half of the season.
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Ohtani is not expected to throw 100 pitches whenever he returns to the mound.
Roberts had recently informed reporters that Ohtani had a knee injection but was not ruled out. The injection was meant to give the All-Star relief from his knee.
This article first appeared in USA TODAY: Dave Roberts gives Shohei Ohtani update: Dodgers not chasing star back on mound