Shohei Ohtani News: Set for pitching debut this week

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after Sunday's 5-4 win over the Giants that it's a "high possibility" that Ohtani (elbow) makes his Dodgers debut as a pitcher during the team's upcoming four-game series against the Padres that begins Monday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports. Ohtani served as the Dodgers' designated hitter Sunday and went 3-for-3 with a walk and two runs.

Earlier Sunday, Roberts told Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register that Ohtani would throw another live batting practice session this week before potentially pitching in a game, but the skipper has apparently seen enough from the 30-year-old to turn him loose. Ohtani's last appearance as a pitcher came in August 2023 with the Angels before he underwent Tommy John surgery a month later, but he's finally ready to be a two-way player again. Considering that Ohtani built up to 44 pitches in his most recent live BP outing, he won't be stretched out enough to serve as a traditional starter, so he's expected to operate as more of an opener at first. Ohtani is likely to get gradually stretched out over a series of appearances before he would be able to handle a five-inning workload.