Shohei Ohtani near pitching return as Dodgers get brutal Roki Sasaki injury news

Even as Dodgers manager Dave Roberts teased the idea of Shohei Ohtani “potentially” returning to the mound in the near future, the banged-up Los Angeles pitching staff suffered another blow.

Ohtani has been throwing simulated games and has managed to throw up to 44 pitches, which has given Roberts a sense of confidence that the baseball superstar could be throwing his last simulated game if all goes well. 

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Roberts said, according to MLB.com, that the next time Ohtani faces batters could “potentially” be his last before taking the mound in big league action. 

However, he would only be getting a few innings on the mound, but Roberts added that anything that Ohtani could give the club would be “additive.”

Ohtani has been recovering from elbow surgery that he underwent in 2023. 

But even as Roberts shared that positive piece of news, the Dodgers were still dealing with another situation with their pitching staff. He said the team is having to “plan on life without” Roki Sasaki for “as far as this year.”

The Japanese pitcher has been out since May 9 and has been working his way back from a shoulder impingement. 

Sasaki has been “not comfortable” and Roberts said that he is “not feeling that he can ramp it up.” 

“I don’t know if it’s pain… it’s more of a question for Roki, to be quite honest with you,” Roberts said, according to the Los Angeles Times. “As far as kind of the sensation, I don’t — it’s discomfort. I don’t think it’s pain. It’s tightness.”

Sasaki is in his first season in the majors after signing a deal to join the Dodgers and come over from Japan. 

He’s gone 1-1 with a 4.72 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 24 strikeouts.

The Dodgers, who also have starters Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow on the IL, came into play Sunday night with a two-game lead over the Giants in the NL West.