Ohtani pitching in playoffs?twiders It could happen, says manager

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

September 14, 2024 at 11:25 JST

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Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani warms up before a baseball game between the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers in Atlanta on Sept. 13. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

ATLANTA--Shohei Ohtani did some long tossing in the outfield before the Los Angeles Dodgers faced the Atlanta Braves on Friday, another step in the two-way star’s road to returning to the mound.

Could he possibly pitch in the postseason?

“Anything is possible,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I hope that’s on his mind as far as motivation for his rehab. The odds of it coming to pass are very slim, but they’re not zero.”

Ohtani has not pitched this season--his first with the Dodgers--after elbow surgery. Even so, he’s having a potentially historic campaign as the team’s designated hitter, trying to become the first player with 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in a major league season.

Going into the opener of a four-game series in Atlanta, Ohtani had 47 homers and 48 stolen bases--putting him on pace to surpass 50 in both categories with 16 games left in the regular season.

While trying to remain optimistic about getting even more value out of Ohtani this season, the first-place Dodgers endured a setback in Tyler Glasnow’s recovery from elbow tendinitis.

A right-hander who is 9-6 with a 3.49 ERA, Glasnow was supposed to pitch a simulated game on Friday. But the session was cut short during his warm-ups in the bullpen when he felt arm discomfort, raising concerns that his injury is more serious than initially thought.

Glasnow went on the 15-day injured list Aug. 16 in what was described then as more of a precautionary move.

“Obviously, it’s a setback,” Roberts said. “I don’t know what that means as far as the coming days. I do know that we’re just going to kind of reassess and see how it feels over the next couple of days and see when we can pick up the ball again.”

Clearly, the team is concerned Glasnow won’t be able to pitch again this season, another blow to an injury plagued rotation.

“It’s certainly not helpful and positive,” Roberts said.