Shohei Ohtani’s rehabilitation from Tommy John surgery is going smoothly as he continues to throw pitches despite the postponement of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ game against the New York Mets on Monday. Before the rescheduling of the game for a doubleheader on Tuesday, Ohtani was seen in the visitors’ bullpen tossing pitches. He informed reporters that he has been clocked at 80 mph and has been increasing his throwing distance progressively, typically ranging from 60-70 pitches.
Despite sustaining a bruised hamstring last week, Ohtani has not missed any games. However, he was advised to avoid overexerting his hamstring, which is evident in his performance during a hit against the Cincinnati Reds last Saturday. Despite a recent batting average of .211 (8-for-38) in his past 10 games, Ohtani mentioned that his hamstring is improving daily and doesn’t believe it is negatively impacting his swing.
The Dodgers are optimistic that Ohtani could potentially progress to pitching in simulated games by September after beginning throwing in March. His pitching talent played a significant role in securing the impressive 10-year, $700 million contract he signed with the Dodgers in December. Last season, before undergoing reconstructive surgery last September, Ohtani boasted a 3.14 ERA and a 10–5 record with an impressive career ERA of 3.01 and a record of 38–19 with 608 strikeouts in 481 2/3 innings in MLB history.
Ohtani currently leads the MLB with a .336 average, a .621 slugging percentage, and an impressive OPS of 1.024. He also has an impressive record of hitting doubles (17), home runs (13), RBI (35), and stolen bases (13). With all these achievements under his belt, it’s clear that Ohtani will be back on top form once again when he returns to action next season after completing his rehabilitation process successfully!
