Ohtani hasn't pitched since July 3, sidelined by lingering soreness in his left knee that turned into a longer shutdown than anyone in LA wanted. A minor right biceps issue popped up too, though it never touched his bat -- he's kept hitting the whole time, chasing a 4th straight MVP while the Dodgers sit at 70-47.
The throwing session itself was small on paper but big in context: plyo-ball work first, then actual catch out to around 90 feet, all before the Dodgers' win over Arizona. That's step 2 of a 3-step plan Ohtani laid out himself after the Cubs series -- plyo, then catch, then bullpens. Nothing here means he's pitching next week. It means the knee is finally cooperating enough to test.
Ohtani's own read on it was measured, not giddy: "It's getting pretty good day by day," he said, adding he'd rather protect the timeline than rush it. That's the tone of a guy who's been down this road before and knows a setback -- like the biceps flare-up in late July that knocked him off a scheduled bullpen -- can erase weeks of progress in one bad session.
Manager Dave Roberts has already lowered the bar on what a return even looks like. If Ohtani gets back on a mound this season, it won't be as a traditional starter -- Roberts has floated using him as an opener, good for a few innings at a time. "Any innings we get from him are bonuses," Roberts said, which is as much managing expectations as it is managing a roster.
Between here and an actual pitching appearance is still a real runway: extended long toss, bullpen sessions, then live batting practice before anyone talks about a big-league mound. Reports have floated an early-to-mid September window if everything holds, which would line Ohtani up just in time to matter for a playoff push. For fantasy managers and bettors alike, that's the number to watch -- not whether he throws today, but whether he's still throwing pain-free in 2 weeks.
None of this changes what Ohtani's been doing at the plate, which is the whole reason the Dodgers can afford to be patient. But the two-way version of him is worth more than the DH version, and every clean throwing day is one step closer to getting that guy back.