Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani is about to conclude what has arguably been the most impressive offensive season in baseball history. Even more impressive–Ohtani has been doing all of this while actively rehabbing a torn UCL after undergoing elbow surgery last September.
Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy spoke about Ohtani's balancing act in an interview on “Foul Territory” on Tuesday.
Max Muncy tries to describe how incredible Shohei Ohtani has been.
"He's going out there and having nights like this after throwing a 50, 60-pitch bullpen." pic.twitter.com/eOU6seCanc
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) September 24, 2024
“His routine is so steady, and it's the same every single day,” Muncy said. “The only thing that changes is whether or not he's throwing a bullpen.
“That's the other thing that's crazy. He's going out there and having nights like this after throwing a 50-, 60-pitch bullpen. That would gas a lot of people as it is, and then he goes out there and steals three bags that night. It's just absolutely incredible.”
While Ohtani is no stranger to pitching and hitting at the same time, hitting and rehabbing an elbow injury is a completely different beast. It is great to see that his teammates are noticing all of the hard work he is doing and how much they appreciate and understand just how incredible Ohtani's season is.
The question everyone is asking now: Is there any chance the Ohtani could make a return to the mound for the Dodgers in the postseason?
Could Shohei Ohtani pitch for the Dodgers during the postseason?
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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts made a shocking admission earlier this month when he said that he had not ruled out Ohtani pitching in the postseason. However, general manager Brandon Gomes then clarified just how unlikely that would be, saying that it was “not in the plans as of now.”
While nothing should ever be completely ruled out for a specimen like Ohtani, it is difficult to imagine him being ready to go just 13 months after surgery while he continued to play a full season of baseball at the plate.
Pitchers whose sole focus is arm rehab rarely return that quickly, and even if they do, they usually have at least a few weeks of rehab appearances in the minor leagues to get acclimated to game speed again.
Ohtani of course would not have that luxury, as he is in the lineup hitting every single day as the Dodgers' designated hitter.
The more likely scenario is that Ohtani continues to rehab on the side to ensure that he can have a completely healthy offseason and be 100% ready to pitch and hit at the start of Spring Training.