Roberts says Ohtani will resume pitching prep: 'Long-term play'

Shohei Ohtani will soon restart his preparation to pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Manager Dave Roberts announced the two-way star is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Saturday. It will be Ohtani's first bullpen since Feb. 25 after the Dodgers slowed down the pitching side of his recovery from elbow surgery so he could focus on hitting before Opening Day.

"This is a long-term play for Shohei's well-being also," Roberts said, according to MLB.com's Andrés Soto.

"So making sure that we're as cautious and careful as we possibly can (be). And, yeah, for 2025, the most important piece of this is having him be able to do both through the end of the season, through October."

The plan appears to be for Ohtani to pitch in a big-league game by May, but Roberts said he won't commit to a timeline until after watching the 30-year-old throw Saturday.

Ohtani has yet to pitch for the Dodgers after signing a record-breaking contract ahead of the 2024 season. He last pitched in the majors for the Los Angeles Angels on Aug. 23, 2023.