Shohei Ohtani’s return to the mound for the Los Angeles Dodgers remains uncertain for the foreseeable future.
Ohtani participated in a bullpen session on Wednesday, July 22 in Philadelphia and is scheduled for another session on Saturday, July 25 in New York.
The sessions could be viewed as a step forward, but he isn’t expected to pitch next week.
“That’s too early,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters. “I feel very good that it won’t be next week.”
The two-way star was pulled from his scheduled start before the MLB All-Star break due to inflammation and irritation in his left knee.
“Every player wants to get back out there and do what they do. But I think he understands it’s not about July, it’s about October,” Roberts said. “So, we’ve already taken a lot of time to get him back to full health, so we’re not going to start earlier than we need to.”
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Ohtani had initially been scheduled to start on Wednesday but the organization then decided against it, with the expectation that they’ll be cautious with the superstar’s workload in the second half of the season.
Ohtani is not expected to throw 100 pitches whenever he does make his return to the mound.
Roberts had recently informed reporters that Ohtani had lubricant injected into his knee but did not have it drained. The injection was intended to provide the All-Star with relief in his knee.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dave Roberts gives Shohei Ohtani update: Dodgers aren’t rushing star back to mound
