Shohei Ohtani Skips Bullpen Session With Knee "Regression" - MLB Trade Rumors

What the report says

MLB Trade Rumors reported that Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani did not throw a scheduled bullpen session Saturday after the team determined he had not recovered well enough from a 31-pitch workout earlier in the week. Manager Dave Roberts told reporters, including Jack Harris of the California Post, that Ohtani was not feeling fully right and that the previous bullpen had involved some “regression.”

According to the report, Ohtani has been unavailable as a pitcher since early July because of right knee inflammation. He received an injection during the All-Star break and was later scratched from his first planned start after the break. Roberts had already indicated Ohtani would not pitch for “some time,” and Saturday’s skipped session leaves the timetable uncertain, though Roberts said the Dodgers still expect him to pitch again this season.

Ohtani is expected to remain in the lineup as a hitter every day. MLB Trade Rumors noted that his July production, a .760 OPS, is below his usual MVP-level standard but still useful by ordinary measures. Before the injury interrupted his pitching season, Ohtani had been in the National League Cy Young conversation with a 1.79 ERA across 14 starts and had worked at least six innings in all but one outing.

The setback matters because the Dodgers’ rotation has already been tested by major absences, including Tyler Glasnow’s back injury and Blake Snell’s elbow surgery after one start. Justin Wrobleski and Eric Lauer have helped cover innings, while the club has shifted to a traditional five-man rotation rather than directly replacing Ohtani’s spot. MLB Trade Rumors also reported the Dodgers expect Kike Hernandez and Edwin Diaz back next week.