Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that Ohtani (knee/biceps) is scheduled to play catch Monday for the second time in three days, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports. Ohtani served as the Dodgers’ designated hitter in Sunday’s 4-2 loss to the Diamondbacks, going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts
Before playing catch out to 90 feet Saturday, Ohtani had been shut down from throwing for approximately two weeks due to lingering soreness and inflammation in his left knee as well as a right biceps issue, which cropped up during his last bullpen session July 22. The two-way superstar reported no issues coming out of Saturday’s catch session and is set to repeat the activity Monday, but Roberts wouldn’t provide a timeline for when Ohtani might get back on a mound, terming it as a “day-by-day” decision. The Dodgers are planning on Ohtani being part of their rotation in the postseason, and while he’s still expected to resume pitching in games before the end of the regular season, he may not be ready to handle a traditional starting role and could instead be deployed as more of an opener while he gradually builds up his pitch count.
