On Saturday, 2024 NL MVP Shohei Ohtani inched nearer to a return to the mound following a “constructive” bullpen session.
For somebody who’s already achieved quite a bit in his brief time in a Dodgers uniform, the two-way star’s pending pitching units Ohtani as much as verify off the ultimate field in giving followers the total Ohtani expertise.
Lead the NL in dwelling runs? Test. Earn MVP honors? Test. Win a World Sequence? Test.
Ohtani has already lived as much as his mammoth 10-year, $700 million deal ($680 million of which is deferred to when his contract expires) he signed in December 2023, regardless of not pitching throughout his first season with the Dodgers following September 2023 proper elbow surgical procedure.
He appeared in 159 video games in 2024 and slashed .310/.390/.646 with 54 dwelling runs and 130 runs batted in (RBI).
Ohtani has been simply as excellent on the plate by way of 10 video games this season. He is slashed .297/.422/.568 with three dwelling runs, together with a walk-off in opposition to the Braves on April 2.
The Dodgers and Ohtani have been simply high-quality with the worldwide famous person strictly batting, however they’re going to profit immensely with him again on the mound.
The four-time All-Star final pitched on Aug. 23, 2023, throughout his final season with the Angels. He began 23 video games that yr, posting a 3.14 earned run common (ERA) with 167 strikeouts and 55 walks in 132 innings. Ohtani’s finest season on the mound got here in 2022 when he completed fourth in AL Cy Younger Award voting after notching a 2.33 ERA in 166 innings (28 begins).
Per ESPN, Ohtani threw 26 pitches throughout Saturday’s session, and he included splitters throughout his tune-up for main league motion.
“Dodgers supervisor labeled [it] as ‘constructive,'” in response to ESPN, which additionally famous that Los Angeles will use a six-man starter rotation when he returns.
Ohtani has had a gilded starting to his Dodgers profession, and it is about to get higher.
