LOS ANGELES — Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani threw a two-inning, 30-pitch live batting practice against minor league hitters before Saturday’s game against the Yankees. It was Ohtani’s second time throwing live BP as the three-time MVP slowly goes through his progression and pitching rehab from elbow surgery in order to return to the Dodgers’ rotation.
“[He] used his entire mix, take some hitters up, down and came out of it well, which is most important,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I think he wishes his command would have been a little bit better. But a really positive day for Shohei.
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“You still got to get to five or six innings, so we still got a ways to go. … I didn’t ask what the velocity was, I would think a safe guess is somewhere in the mid 90s.”
Ohtani, who hasn’t pitched in a regular-season game since Aug. 23, 2023, won’t pitch for the Dodgers until the second half at the earliest. Los Angeles’ rotation has dealt with several injuries this season. Starters Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow are currently on the 60-day IL while rookie Roki Sasaki is on the 15-day IL.
The world’s best player has shown no signs of slowing down while he’s been rehabbing from elbow surgery, entering Saturday hitting .294 with an MLB-leading 22 homers this season, including two against the Yankees on Friday night.
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He started Saturday’s game with a leadoff single and later scored on a Will Smith RBI-single. The Dodgers blitzed Yankees starter Will Warren for seven runs in 1 1/3 innings before New York yanked him. The lead ballooned to 10-0 by the time Ohtani got his third at-bat of the game.
Ohtani finished 2-for-4 in Los Angeles’ 18-2 blowout victory.
Dodgers reaffirm that Mookie Betts won’t go on IL with fractured toe
The Dodgers have not been lucky with their health for quite some time and were hit with another injury as shortstop Mookie Betts is dealing with a fractured left toe, Roberts confirmed Saturday. Betts, who was not in the Dodgers’ lineup in their 8-5 win over the Yankees, injured the toe in the dark at his home and reported the pain and swelling to L.A.’s medical staff and Roberts before Friday’s series opener.
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“It’s a fracture at the tip of his toe, so basically it’s kind of what he can tolerate,” Roberts said. “And the last couple days, it’s been hard for him to even put on his shoe. So that’s obviously why he’s not in the lineup. But I still don’t believe it’s going to be an IL stint.”
While the injury isn’t expected to keep Betts out long-term, the Dodgers may have to reevaluate that plan should Betts’ pain and swelling in the toe not improve.
He wasn’t in the starting lineup Saturday against the Yankees for the second straight game.
The Dodgers are currently playing with just 12 position players, but have several players with plenty of experience at shortstop including Tommy Edman, Miguel Rojas and Hyeseong Kim, who got the nod at short on Saturday.
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