Shohei Ohtani takes first swings since landing on IL, Dodgers still hopeful he can return before playoffs Yahoo Sports Ohtani begins hitting progression, as regular-season return remains in sight MLB.com Ohtani takes fir...
The Dodgers' star hit off a tee on Tuesday in Los Angeles , manager Dave Roberts confirmed before the team's 4-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds . Ohtani is currently on the 15-day injured list while dealing with right biceps inflammation. Tuesday's swings were the first he has taken since he landed on the IL on Sept. 8.
"Shohei hit off the tee and felt good, too," Roberts said, via The Associated Press . "Don't know what's in store for tomorrow, but I know that there's going to be a consistent build-up. Don't know when the time of return to play is, but today was positive, and hopefully we can just keep building toward that."
Ohtani landed on the IL earlier this month after struggling to return from various injuries, including a knee issue that forced him to stop pitching in early July. He received a lubricant injection in the joint during the All-Star break. He revealed the biceps issue in late July, but that was downplayed compared to the knee injury.
But Ohtani struggled to remain on the field for the Dodgers in the designated hitter slot, and he went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and a walk in his final appearance before the Dodgers finally placed him on the IL. While he is not expected to pitch again the rest of the season, he still had to go on the 15-day IL instead of the usual 10-day IL for a batter, as he has the two-way player designation.
The Dodgers improved to 92-59 on the season with Tuesday's win, which was powered in part by home runs from Teoscar Hernández and Alex Freeland . The Dodgers still hold a massive lead in the NL West race and have already clinched a playoff spot.
Ohtani will be eligible to return on Sept. 23 at the earliest. At that point, the Dodgers will have five games left in the regular season. That's a short timeline to get Ohtani reps before the postseason begins, but Roberts is hopeful.
"Whether it happens or not is to be determined, but I do expect him to be back to play in some regular-season games," Roberts said. "I don't know how many."
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