- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,239,978
- Reaction score
- 59
On what was supposed to be his first start on the mound for the second half of the season, Shohei Ohtani threw his first bullpen session since getting a lubricant injection in his left knee at Citizens Bank Park.
Originally, the bullpen session was slated for this Friday when the Dodgers traveled to New York. But Ohtani himself was the driving force behind wanting to have the session on Wednesday.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts spoke to the media following the session and commended the valiant step forward into Ohtani returning to the mound.
"It's a big sign because I think that the grass, the flat ground, all that stuff is well and good," Roberts said to the media via SportsNetLA. "The arm's fine; it's more of just going down the slope, getting over your front side. That's the big test."
He noted that Ohtani is feeling the benefits from the lubricant injections, as Ohtani has told Roberts that in every activity he does — running and throwing on flat ground — he feels "great."
Roberts did not go into full detail yet on the intricacies of Ohtani's bullpen since he did not stand to watch it, but pitching coach Mark Prior was present in the pen.
"It looked good. Feels good," Prior said to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. "We'll see where he's at tomorrow. I mean, there's not too much to elaborate on. But he's going to hit tonight and go to work."
For the bullpen session itself, the Japanese media members present to view Ohtani's bullpen told David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports that he threw exactly 34 pitches and displayed the entirety of his arsenal.
That aside, Roberts' main points coming out of this bullpen session were that he really wanted Ohtani to test his landing knee. He added that he believes Ohtani's recent stretch of struggling starts before being scratched from his last start of the first half had to do with the ailing left knee.
Like it's been all season regarding his workload, Roberts will not push Ohtani to aim for long outings in his return, but his bullpen session is a big indicator for his return.
Don't miss out on our ROUNDTABLE community and the latest news!
It's completely free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.
Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!
Continue reading...
Originally, the bullpen session was slated for this Friday when the Dodgers traveled to New York. But Ohtani himself was the driving force behind wanting to have the session on Wednesday.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts spoke to the media following the session and commended the valiant step forward into Ohtani returning to the mound.
"It's a big sign because I think that the grass, the flat ground, all that stuff is well and good," Roberts said to the media via SportsNetLA. "The arm's fine; it's more of just going down the slope, getting over your front side. That's the big test."
He noted that Ohtani is feeling the benefits from the lubricant injections, as Ohtani has told Roberts that in every activity he does — running and throwing on flat ground — he feels "great."
Roberts did not go into full detail yet on the intricacies of Ohtani's bullpen since he did not stand to watch it, but pitching coach Mark Prior was present in the pen.
"It looked good. Feels good," Prior said to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. "We'll see where he's at tomorrow. I mean, there's not too much to elaborate on. But he's going to hit tonight and go to work."
For the bullpen session itself, the Japanese media members present to view Ohtani's bullpen told David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports that he threw exactly 34 pitches and displayed the entirety of his arsenal.
That aside, Roberts' main points coming out of this bullpen session were that he really wanted Ohtani to test his landing knee. He added that he believes Ohtani's recent stretch of struggling starts before being scratched from his last start of the first half had to do with the ailing left knee.
Like it's been all season regarding his workload, Roberts will not push Ohtani to aim for long outings in his return, but his bullpen session is a big indicator for his return.
Join the Community
Don't miss out on our ROUNDTABLE community and the latest news!
It's completely free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.
Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!
Continue reading...
