Manager Dave Roberts Gives Surprising Update on Star Player

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani won’t be pitching this season after having elbow surgery in September however, manager Dave Roberts told media members Monday that there’s a possibility he could play in the field at some point this season.

“Shohei this year is primarily going to be the designated hitter,” Roberts said in Seoul, South Korea, per the Associated Press. “Once we get back to the States, he is going to start his throwing program, which he hasn’t started yet. We’ll see how that progression goes. If his arm is healthy enough, we’ll have that conversation in the field. I do know he’s not going to pitch this year.”

The Dodgers initially thought Ohtani would just be the team’s designated hitter this year, this is the first public confirmation that he could potentially do more than that.

Ohtani, who signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers in the offseason, will start his throwing program later this week. According to The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya, it will be his first time throwing a baseball since undergoing his second elbow ligament reconstruction surgery on Sept. 19.

Dr. Neal ElAttrache performed both surgeries on Ohtani but he confirmed with the Associated Press that the second procedure was an “enhanced version” of Tommy John. The renowned orthopedic surgeon described the surgery as a hybrid procedure involving an internal brace — adding braided suture to repair the torn ligament — as well as the insertion of the tendon like what is done in a traditional Tommy John surgery.

“So you’re getting all the benefits of an augmented what’s called an internal brace, where you’re putting suture in to brace the elbow,” ElAttrache told the AP. “I like to put that suture in the native tissue because then I know it’s perfectly anatomic and it’ll tighten at exactly the right time.”

With Ohtani, anything is possible, and Roberts knows that but both parties are being conservative with his return to the mound. There is no need to rush back when the Dodgers don’t necessarily need him to pitch this season.

But, if his throwing progression goes according to ElAttache’s plan then it could coincide with a historical day.

“It just so happens that, if he goes along with the throwing program as we have it scheduled, he’ll be throwing his first simulated game the last week of September,” ElAttrache told the AP. “Tommy John’s operation 50 years ago was September 25th, 1974. So Ohtani will be throwing his first sim game 50 years almost to the date of the first Tommy John, which is pretty wild.”