What was (and wasn’t) discussed in Dodgers’ pitching meeting with Shohei Ohtani
5 months, 2 weeks ago

What was (and wasn’t) discussed in Dodgers’ pitching meeting with Shohei Ohtani

LA Times  

Dodgers officials and Shohei Ohtani met last Sunday to discuss the state of the two-way star’s pitching rehab program, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said Thursday. “It just wasn’t even talked about,” Friedman said, “because it’s not a thought.” Instead, Sunday’s meeting centered on a delicate balance Ohtani and the Dodgers will have to strike in October, when Ohtani could be ready to begin facing hitters in live batting practice sessions but will also be serving as the Dodgers’ designated hitter in the playoffs. “So the question is, what is the prudent route and how does his body feel as we continue through his bullpen progression.” One thing that was not explicitly discussed in the meeting, according to Friedman, is whether Ohtani could potentially pitch in a relief role during this year’s playoffs — a remote possibility that manager Dave Roberts raised, though later walked back, earlier this month. And while Friedman stopped short of saying the possibility was officially off the table — “I don’t operate in that world,” he said — he reiterated that it’s “just not something that was even a thought for us.” Friedman was presented with one extreme hypothetical in which he’d be in favor of Ohtani taking the mound this postseason; say, if the Dodgers somehow ran completely out of other pitching options in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series, leaving either Ohtani or a position player such as Kiké Hernández to close out a game.

History of this topic

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