Shohei Ohtani threw a bullpen session at Dodger Stadium on Friday, and this time his left knee didn’t push back. Reported by Jack Harris of the California Post, it was his first bullpen in more than three weeks — and for a Dodgers team that has been holding its breath since late July, it was a genuinely encouraging sign.
Before the knee inflammation shut him down, Ohtani was pitching like an ace: 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA over 14 starts. Los Angeles wants that version of him back on the mound in October. Friday was the first real step toward making that happen.
Why This Bullpen Matters More Than the Last One
This wasn’t Ohtani’s first attempt. On July 22, he threw a 31-pitch bullpen session in Philadelphia — and the knee didn’t respond well. Manager Dave Roberts publicly called it a «regression.» The next scheduled session was canceled, and the Dodgers kept Ohtani strictly as a designated hitter for weeks.
What makes August 14 different is the groundwork laid before it. Ohtani restarted from scratch on August 8 with light catch at around 90 feet, then moved to dry-run mechanics off the mound on August 11 — throwing motion without a ball, to avoid stressing the knee. Only after both steps went smoothly did the team green-light a live bullpen. It was the third and most advanced rung of the progression he had mapped out himself.
There’s also a second injury in the picture. Ohtani revealed in July that during the Philadelphia session he also felt discomfort in his right biceps — a result of compensating through his arm while protecting the knee. Managing two recovery fronts at once explains why the process has been this slow and deliberate.
What Still Needs to Happen Before He Pitches in a Game
One bullpen doesn’t put him back in the rotation. Roberts was straightforward about the road ahead:
- Several more full bullpen sessions
- At least one live batting practice appearance
- Enough ramp-up time to build workload before the playoffs
The internal target is September — ideally the first half of the month — to give him time to get stretched out before the postseason. The Dodgers have already lost Tyler Glasnow from the rotation this year. Blake Snell returned on August 12, but no one on the staff fills the hole Ohtani leaves as a starter. A healthy Ohtani opening multiple innings in October changes the entire postseason picture.
Ohtani himself has been clear: he doesn’t want to rush. He’d rather make sure he’s moving in the right direction than force a return that lands him back on the shelf. For now, Friday was a good day — and in this recovery, good days are exactly what the Dodgers have been waiting for.
