Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani is in the middle of another great season. Ohtani has already been declared as a National League All-Star. However, the biggest development of the season is his pitching. Dave Roberts has been cautious with his star's workload on the mound, having Ben Casparius pitch the bulk of the innings after one-inning stints from his star.
Ohtani's return from Tommy John surgeries is one of the biggest storylines of the season. Roberts and the Dodgers waited for more then a year for the two-way star to fully recover. Now that he is back, Los Angeles and their manager are not taking any risks. Ohtani pitched one inning each in his first two starts back. However, Roberts has promised that it is for a reason.
Because of the severity of Ohtani's injury, the Dodgers' staff does not want to overtax their starter. Casparius is a capable pitcher who can handle the majority of the workload. However, Roberts said that they will begin ramping up Ohtani's workload soon.
According to MLB.com's Sonja Chen, Ohtani's next start will come against the Kansas City Royals on Saturday. Roberts confirmed that his star will start the game, but did not mention how many innings of work he will get. For now, fans expect that he will continue to pitch one inning per start until the coaching staff feels confident.
Article Continues BelowLos Angeles has dealt with injuries to their starters all season long. Roberts has navigated it well, allowing the team to ease Ohtani along. With Blake Snell and Glasnow taking steps back towards their return from the Dodgers' injured list, things are looking up.
Ohtani will face a good test against the top of the Royals' order on Saturday. If Kansas City is completely healthy, he will pitch against Jonathan India, Bobby Witt Jr., and Maikel Garcia in the first inning.
Ohtani is still a ways away from being completely recovered from his injury. For the time being, Roberts will lean on Casparius to guide his team through the rest of the game.
So far this season, Roberts has yet to go wrong. Behind Los Angeles' new ace pitcher, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Dodgers have one of the best records in the league.
Ohtani's return to the mound is a great sign. However, fans might have to keep waiting before their start is back to his normal workload.