Ohtani Throws Short Bullpen, Dodgers Still Undecided on Sunday Return to Mound

Shohei Ohtani threw a bullpen session Friday at Comerica Park ahead of the Dodgers' series opener against the Detroit Tigers, but it did not settle the question everyone in the clubhouse wants answered: is he pitching Sunday?

Ohtani threw around 20 pitches, according to the Associated Press and multiple outlets covering the session. That's shorter than his typical between-starts bullpen, which usually runs 30 to 35 pitches. The Whittier Daily News reported Ohtani did not appear to be throwing at full effort for much of the session.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts didn't watch it live. "I really don't know what to make of it because I didn't put eyes on it," Roberts said before Friday's game, per the Los Angeles Times. "Obviously I've got to talk to Shohei, talk to [pitching coach Mark Prior] and then we'll make a decision for Sunday."

After the game, Roberts offered a simpler explanation for the shorter session. "That's all he wanted to throw," he said, according to the Whittier Daily News. Roberts added the team plans to "stand pat" and see how Ohtani feels Saturday before finalizing the Sunday plan.

Ohtani last pitched in a game on July 3 against the San Diego Padres. He was shut down afterward to manage swelling and discomfort in his left knee, and has continued playing exclusively as designated hitter since. He's batting .285 with 30 home runs and 80 RBIs this season, and as a pitcher carries an 8-2 record with a 1.79 ERA and 95 strikeouts in 85 2/3 innings, according to the AP.

If he does start Sunday, the expectation across every outlet covering the Dodgers is that it would be a one-inning outing, opening the game before handing off to another pitcher. The Orange County Register reported that pitcher would likely be left-hander Eric Lauer, who Roberts has said is moving into a bullpen role. The LA Times and Dodger Blue noted the alternative is that right-hander Tyler Glasnow, who threw five innings and 89 pitches in his return from injury on Tuesday, simply starts the game on his regular rest.

Roberts, quoted by the Orange County Register earlier in the week, called an Ohtani start "a possibility" tied to the Dodgers' Monday off day, but stressed it depends on "all the heads coming together and coming to a consensus that it's the right thing to do."

Ohtani's path back has had its own bumps. He tried a bullpen session on July 21 but felt renewed knee discomfort and paused his throwing program, according to the Whittier Daily News. He resumed throwing roughly two weeks ago and progressed to a live batting practice session against catcher Will Smith last Saturday, throwing 30 pitches over six at-bats.

Dodger Blue reported, citing Fabian Ardaya and Katie Woo of The Athletic, that Ohtani had also completed a separate 45-pitch bullpen session before that live BP outing, and that the club was already eyeing Sunday in Detroit as his potential return before Friday's shortened session complicated the picture.

Roberts has said the goal isn't just getting Ohtani into one game. It's building him toward pitching five or six innings by the postseason. The Whittier Daily News reported the Dodgers are "hopeful of building Ohtani up" to that workload level. With roughly four weeks and 26 games left in the regular season, the Orange County Register noted the schedule gives him room to make at least five starts on full rest if Sunday goes forward and there are no further setbacks.

Every outlet agrees on the basic facts: 20 pitches Friday, no final decision on Sunday, Ohtani hasn't pitched since July 3. Where the reporting splits is timing and confidence level. The Orange County Register, reporting from earlier in the week before Friday's bullpen, framed an Ohtani start as close to inevitable, saying "all signs point to" him pitching Sunday. The Whittier Daily News and LA Times, both reporting from Friday after the shortened session, took a more cautious tone, with Whittier's headline noting the shorter session made a Sunday start "less certain."

Fox Sports and WBOC, both running the AP's account, stuck strictly to Roberts' quotes without speculating on which way the decision would go.

None of the sources reported Ohtani himself commenting directly on the shortened session. Roberts, however, previously said of Ohtani's mindset: "I think if it were up to Shohei, he'd be in a game in a few days."

The Dodgers have Saturday to make the call. If Ohtani doesn't pitch Sunday, Glasnow starts on regular rest. If he does, it's one inning, Lauer likely follows, and the two-way experiment that's defined Ohtani's Dodgers tenure resumes with the postseason clock already running.