Reds legend claims Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow's absence could force Dodgers to make a major decision
The LA Dodgers are enjoying MVP-caliber hitting from Shohei Ohtani but they could want him to start using his other ability too. Ohtani is a two-way superstar who can pitch as well as he can bat. He couldn't pitch last season because he underwent elbow surgery in 2023.
However, with several Dodgers starters, including Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell, spending time on the injured list, the team might want to see Ohtani return to the mound soon. It helps that he threw against live hitters the other day.
On Wednesday's episode of "The Mayor's Office," former Cincinnati Reds icon Sean Casey said the absence of key starters could prompt the Dodgers to ramp up the return of Ohtani.
"Don't forget he just threw to live hitters the other day. Curveball, split-finger — like, by the way, he's a pitcher too," Casey said. And by the way, he's one of the best pitchers in baseball. The Dodgers haven’t had to use him yet because they have some really good pitching, too. But they’re banged up.
"You know, Glasnow is down. Blake Snell is down. I think the Dodgers are looking at this going, ‘We actually need Ohtani now.’ Because I think they were slow-playing it at the beginning of the year, like, ‘Hey, he’s not going to throw to hitters, he’s just throwing flat ground.’ And I think as the injuries have mounted up, they’re like, ‘All right, we actually need this guy,'" he added.
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Latest update on Shohei Ohtani's pitching return
Shohei Ohtani made a significant jump in his rehab by pitching on Sunday. In 22 pitches against live hitters, Ohtani managed to strike out twice while giving up one hit and one walk. He faced Hyeseong Kim, Dalton Rushing and game-planning coach J.T. Watkins.
The latest development means a change in Ohtani's weekly routine, which will now include a light bullpen session every Wednesday and off-the-mound activity on Saturdays.
“I’m going to do live BPs once a week moving forward,” Ohtani said via DodgerBlue.com. “On the road, I’m sure it’s going to be a little bit difficult to get quality hitters to stand in at times, but at home I should be able to get good minor-league hitters to stand in.”
The Japanese superstar's addition would likely provide a boost to the Dodgers' injury-hindered starting rotation.