"Pitcher Ohtani's clock, which had been stopped, moves again... Roberts coach "will start pitching again in the bullpen in a few days."

"Pitcher Ohtani's clock, which had been stopped, moves again... Roberts coach "will start pitching again in the bullpen in a few days."

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Shohei Ohtani (31, LA Dodgers), who temporarily suspended pitching training before leaving Japan, is expected to return to the bullpen. 먹튀검증

Ohtani, who underwent surgery on his right elbow in 2023 and played the last season as a batter, has started preparing to return to the pitcher's camp in earnest. Starting with his first bullpen session on April 16 (Korea Standard Time), he conducted a total of four bullpen sessions through April 26. His fastball speed was raised to 156.1 km/h, and breaking balls including new weapon cutters were also pitched without problem.

It was Ohtani's last pitching training. Ohtani has only been training catch balls on flat ground since then, and did not pitch in practice. The LA Times reported on the 7th that "Ohtani will not deal with hitters before leaving for Japan. He will resume his pitching career after returning from Japan, but manager Dave Roberts has not revealed any specific schedule."

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, "Otani and the team want to slowly prepare for his pitching program. It's because he started playing games after preparing for the season as a batter."

Pitcher coach Mark Prior also told local media "Orange County Register" that "the delay in Otani's pitching program was to respond to his special situation."

"We have to rely on Ohtani a lot on offense. We don't have the experience and road map to manage a second-class player like Ohtani," Pryor said. "Right now, it's important to make sure he's ready to play as a designated hitter. For now, I'll relax and check his condition, and then start pitching again after returning from Japan."

Ohtani, who was preoccupied with preparing for the season as a batter before leaving Japan, became the main character of the Tokyo Dome with a batting average of 0.375 (3 hits in 8 at-bats) with one homer, one RBI, three runs and two walks in Game 1 and 2 of the Tokyo Series against the Chicago Cubs. And on the 24th, he started as the first batter in his first exhibition game since returning to the U.S. against the "Friendly Team" Los Angeles Angels and checked his condition with no hits and one walk in 1 at-bats.

According to Japanese media "Sankei Sports," Roberts said in an interview with reporters after the game, "Otani is recovering really well. I don't know the exact schedule yet, but we will start pitching the bullpen in a few days," adding, "If we start pitching the bullpen, the next process will be clearer."

Originally, Ohtani expected to return to the mound in May. However, Pryor said in a previous interview that Ohtani does not have to feel pressured to return as soon as possible because Dodgers has plenty of pitching options.

"He's not going to play the traditional starting rotation anyway. He's going to pitch about once a week, and his goal is to put him in at the right time during the season and get the most out of it," he added.