"I think the one thing you can say, though, is that we use him once every seven days, eight days, nine days -- [11] days in between his last start -- so to think that now it's feasible for a guy that's just coming off what he's done last year, or didn't do last year, to then now put him in a role that's very, very unique -- because he's a very methodical, disciplined, routine-driven person. The pen is the complete opposite, right? You potentially could be taking on risk, and we've come this far, certainly with the kid gloves and managing."
"The Dodgers' caution while managing Ohtani's return to the mound in the wake of a second repair of his ulnar collateral ligament was evident Tuesday, when Roberts removed him after five no-hit innings despite just 68 pitches. That decision was predetermined, Roberts said, a function of the team's hesitancy to push him beyond the five-inning threshold this season. Ohtani said he understood the decision but added that he wants to "pitch as long as possible.""
Shohei Ohtani has returned to starting pitching and remains a likely playoff starter, though the Dodgers have evaluated using him out of the bullpen in short postseason series. The organization balances potential bullpen value against Ohtani's routine-driven approach and recent second UCL repair, prioritizing cautious workload management. A recent start was limited to five innings and 68 pitches under a predetermined plan to protect his arm. Ohtani wants to pitch as long as possible and is open to playing the outfield to stay in the lineup after a relief appearance. Internal discussions about optimal postseason deployment continue.
Read at ESPN.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]