The Los Angeles Dodgers are managing Shohei Ohtani's return to pitching cautiously, following a halted progression and focusing on his designated hitter duties. As the initial May timeline for pitching returns into doubt, the team relies on Ohtani's input for managing his unique dual-role status. Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior emphasized the organization's inexperience with handling a two-way player, highlighting that the priority is ensuring Ohtani is prepared for his offensive contributions. Balancing his pitching recovery with offensive importance complicates their strategy moving forward into the season.
It's been one of those things where ... we're having to lean on him a lot. We don't really have this template or road map dealing with a two-way situation.
We're trying to control overall workload management with his left shoulder... clearly, he's an important part of our offensive side.
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