Dodgers notes: Shohei Ohtani’s pitching rehab, LA pitching injuries, Dave Roberts
Ohtani has maintained his throwing program all season after last September’s elbow surgery. Plus a look at all the Dodgers pitching injuries.
While the last four or five days has brought renewed discussion on the small chance that Shohei Ohtani might pitch for the Dodgers during the postseason, most likely if they were to reach the World Series, it’s important to note how Ohtani might even be in a position to pitch this October.
After a second major elbow surgery last September, Ohtani hasn’t pitched all season. He started a throwing program in March and has kept that up all year, and has even mixed in a large handful of times pitching off of a mound as part of his rehab.
Bill Plunkett at the Orange County Register wrote about Ohtani’s pitching rehab process, which has gone about as smoothly as he or the Dodgers could have hoped:
Ken Rosenthal at The Athletic had a column about the growing list of Dodgers pitching injuries, including the big blow of losing Tyler Glasnow for the remainder of the season with an elbow strain.
“Teams prioritize swing-and-miss to reduce the odds of random outcomes on balls in play,” Rosenthal wrote. “The Dodgers, with their recent tortured postseason history, are perhaps even more hellbent on leaving little to chance. Whatever they’re doing, though, isn’t working.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was listed among a handful of managers and executives with the most at stake this October by Buster Olney at ESPN. Though his explanation for Roberts’ proverbial hot seat is fairly general and is presented more as a question rather than definitive reporting.
“There are enormous expectations for the team despite the mountain of pitching injuries it has dealt with,” Olney wrote. “The front office and coaching staff will collaborate on a plan to work through the postseason, but Roberts is ultimately responsible for the in-game choices. If the Dodgers lose, will he be held responsible?”
