Shohei Ohtani will get the ball on Monday night when the Los Angeles Dodgers face the Minnesota Twins, but he’s still on a short leash. The two-way star is expected to pitch just three innings before handing it over to right-hander Dustin May, according to manager Dave Roberts.
Dodgers easing Ohtani into longer outings after surgery
Ohtani is making his sixth start of the season as he continues his slow climb back from elbow surgery. His last outing came against the Giants, where he gave up one hit and struck out four over three clean innings. So far this year, he’s thrown nine innings total with a sparkling 1.00 ERA.
Roberts made it clear Ohtani will remain on a limited pitch count for at least a few more appearances.
“The plan is to build him up to four innings, then repeat that,” Roberts said. “After that, we’ll treat it like a regular start.”
The Dodgers currently sit atop the NL West and are hoping to strengthen a pitching staff that has been banged up for much of the year. Ohtani didn’t pitch at all last season while recovering, so every inning counts as he ramps back up.
Los Angeles has the Twins in town for three games, before heading out to Boston to take on the Red Sox.
