Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani threw his first live bullpen session on Sunday amid his current pitching rehab. According to Jorge Castillo of ESPN, the Dodgers two-way phenom threw 22 pitches to three hitters (five total at-bats).
So how did Ohtani perform?
“Some fist bumps for Shohei Ohtani after his simulated inning. Threw 23 pitches, got a pair of strikeouts, issued a walk and allowed a double to Hyeseong Kim (who grounded to the mound his first at-bat),” Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reported.
According to Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior, Ohtani looked healthy” on the mound, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports. Plunkett also reports that Ohtani reached up to 97 MPH.
There is still no official timeline for Ohtani's return to the big league mound. His first live BP session on Sunday was unquestionably a pivotal step, though. He only threw 22 pitches, but Ohtani is seemingly getting close to pitching once again at the MLB level.
The Dodgers can use the extra pitching help. Although LA's roster is deep, injuries have still been a problem. Of course, even if the Dodgers were completely healthy, they would not mind adding a Cy Young-caliber arm to the rotation. When healthy, Shohei Ohtani is among the best pitchers in the sport.
Article Continues BelowFor now, LA has to settle for having Ohtani produce MVP-caliber numbers as the DH. Shohei leads the league with 17 home runs and could very well be on his way to winning a fourth MVP award.
At this point, Shohei Ohtani may have to invest in an extra shelf just for MVP trophies.
Ohtani may be able to add a Cy Young award or two to his collection at some point down the road once he returns to the mound. At the very least, he will give the Dodgers' rotation an important boost.
The Dodgers will play the Mets in New York on Sunday night at 7:10 PM EST. Ohtani will likely be in the lineup despite throwing a live BP session on Sunday.