Shohei Ohtani (and Glasnow and Snell) could be back on Dodgers' mound sooner than expected

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2 days ago

Shohei Ohtani throws live batting practice before a game against the New York Mets on May 25. (Adam Hunger / Associated Press)
The most important pitches for the Dodgers on Tuesday came long before the start of their game that night.
In the second of a key three-game series against the San Diego Padres, the Dodgers found themselves in an uncomfortably familiar position: Lacking an available starting pitcher amid a wave of early-season injuries, and turning instead to a collection of minor league arms thrust into big league duty; set to open the game with Lou Trivino, and then have Matt Sauer pitch bulk innings.
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It's not what the Dodgers envisioned entering the year, when they expected to have a rotation of potential All-Stars on the mound every day.
It was eerily similar to the circumstances they faced last October –– their Game 4, elimination-staving win against the Padres in last year's National League Division Series, specifically.
Earlier Tuesday, however, the Dodgers had reasons for optimism: These current circumstances might not last much longer.
Hours before the game, Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell took notable steps in their recovery from injuries.
For the first time in a while, they could start to see light at the end of the pitching tunnel.
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On the Petco Park mound, Ohtani threw the third live batting practice in his continued recovery from a 2023 Tommy John surgery, hurling 44 pitches over three simulated innings while racking up six strikeouts against a pair of rookie league hitters from the organization.
Read more: Shaikin: Despite a quiet offseason, Padres are still making noise in competitive NL West
Back in Los Angeles, Glasnow threw the third bullpen session of his recovery from a shoulder inflammation injury, and could be getting close to facing live hitters himself in the near future.
And after Ohtani finished his session in San Diego, Snell threw 15 pitches in the bullpen, his first full bullpen session since suffering a setback in his recovery from shoulder inflammation back in April.
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'Really encouraging,' manager Dave Roberts said. 'You can start to see us get to the other side. It's stuff to look forward to.'
Ohtani's live session was the day's biggest development. He made a significant jump in workload, going from the 29 pitches he threw two weekends ago at Dodger Stadium to a 44-pitch outing Tuesday that concluded with 23 throws in his third and final inning. But, after battling poor command in his previous live BP, he showed increased consistency and sharpness with all of his pitches, giving up just a ground-ball single and a lone walk while including 15 swings-and-misses with a variety of offerings.
'It wasn't just pure power and velocity,' pitching coach Mark Prior said of Ohtani, whose fastball averaged around 94-96 mph. 'He got some swing-and-misses on his off-speed pitches. He's being able to keep guys off balance and mess up their timing. There's different types of misses. I think from that standpoint, those are good things.'
Roberts came away so encouraged, he even hinted at a more optimistic timeline for when Ohtani –– who hasn't pitched in a big league game since August 2023 –– might be able to join the team's active rotation, saying the chances are 'north of zero' that the right-hander could return before the All-Star break.
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In recent weeks, Roberts had said Ohtani wouldn't be back until after the Midsummer Classic.
'It's tempting,' Roberts said. 'I'm sure Shohei feels tempted to just kind of rip the Band-Aid off and get into a big league game. But I think we're doing a good job of being patient. And truth be told, I don't think anyone knows the right time to get him in a big league game. We're still being very careful, I guess.'
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Another notable development from Roberts on Tuesday: Ohtani might not have to complete 'a full build-up' before pitching in big league games.
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'Anything he can give us is certainly additive,' Roberts said, an idea underscored by Ohtani's two-way player status, which would effectively make him an extra arm on the Dodgers' staff without counting against their 13-pitcher roster max.
'I still stand by him, and [head team physician] Dr. [Neal] ElAttrache and the training staff are going to drive this,' said Roberts, who wasn't sure when Ohtani would throw his next live session. 'I'm just anxious for the next one.'
Glasnow and Snell have more steps to complete in their comebacks, from their own live sessions to likely minor league rehab stints.
Prior also noted that those two will have to be more fully built up before they are activated, given the already overworked state of the Dodgers' bullpen.
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Still, Snell said after two months of lingering shoulder pain earlier this year, the breakthrough he has experienced in the last two weeks has renewed his confidence about how he'll perform when he returns.
'I'm very excited,' he said after throwing at about 70% intensity level in his 15-pitch bullpen. 'After this 'pen, the ramp up is gonna start, and I can start pitching, and I know I'm gonna be a factor on the team again.'
Read more: Hernández: It's tempting to rush Shohei Ohtani back on the mound, but the Dodgers shouldn't do it
Prior offered similar encouragement with Glasnow's recent work, noting his fastball is up to 95-96 mph.
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'Everything looks good,' Prior said of Glasnow. 'He really has been feeling good and the ball has been coming out really good.'
In the meantime, the Dodgers will have to continue to tread water. They currently have only four healthy starters in the rotation between Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Clayton Kershaw, Dustin May and Justin Wrobleski. And though Emmet Sheehan could be an option to return from his own Tommy John surgery after one more start in his minor league rehab next week, the recent loss of Tony Gonsolin –– and continued absence of Roki Sasaki, who has yet to progress past light catch play –– has only further limited the club's pitching options.
That's why, even on a day the Dodgers were patching together a pitching plan once again, they were finally feeling hopeful about the long-term state of their staff.
Ohtani, Snell and Glasnow are finally making strides toward returning.
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The star-studded pitching staff the club had been planning for this season might soon become a reality once again.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.