The Los Angeles Dodgers are already one of the best teams in baseball, and a key reinforcement could be coming soon. Dave Roberts and company are still waiting for two-way star Shohei Ohtani to return to the mound after a long recovery from Tommy John surgery.

Throughout the season, Ohtani has been taking small steps toward making a recovery and getting back on the mound. On Sunday night, he threw live batting practice for the first time before the Dodgers took on the New York Mets.

After the game, the reigning National League MVP talked about throwing to live hitters for the first time, via Jorge Castillo of ESPN.

“I haven't thrown in a while, so it was nice to be able to feel like I was a pitcher,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. “I just kind of remembered those days when I used to have a lot of good memories as a pitcher.”

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Ohtani has yet to pitch a game for the Dodgers, but he was one of the best arms in the league during his time with the Los Angeles Angels. If he can get back to that level after the injury, it will make the Dodgers even scarier and more difficult to beat.

Even after throwing to live hitters for the first time, Ohtani is still a ways away from getting back on the bump. He still has many more sessions to do before he is cleared to pitch in a game. Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior touched on the timeline of his star pitcher after the Dodgers' loss to the Mets.

“There's no definitive anything,” Prior said, per Castillo. “So, I mean, there's nothing we're going to put definitive out there because, again, every day's different for him. It's a process. All [Tommy John surgeries] are a process so he's facing hitters for the first time. He's going to face hitters whether that's five, six, seven, then we got to go through a progression and build him up into game endurance and stuff. But to say how many that is, I couldn't tell you. I don't know. But it's going to be some time.”

Thankfully for the defending World Series champs, they have the luxury of bringing Ohtani back at his own pace. Yoshinobu Yamamoto has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this season and is leading a very strong rotation, so there is no rush to get the Japanese superstar back on the mound. However, his presence will surely be welcome on the rubber as soon as he can get there.