It’s been quite the roller coaster for Shohei Ohtani as he works his way back to the mound for the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Ohtani has not pitched in nearly two ye

Shohei Ohtani is moving ever closer to his first pitching appearance for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday there’s now a chance his fans might not even have to wait until the All-Star break.

While the Dodgers haven't yet issued a timetable on when Ohtani could return to in-game pitching, manager Dave Roberts told reporters that the chances of him doing it before the All-Star break (slated to begin on July 13) are "north of zero."

Dodgers' Dave Roberts Announces Shohei Ohtani News Before Padres Game originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Los Angeles Dodgers have been hammered by injuries to their pitching staff. Among others, starting pitchers Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Roki Sasaki are on the injured list.

Shohei Ohtani could pitch before the All-Star break, and Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow also make good progress in their return from injuries.

Shohei Ohtani had a quiet night on Monday as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres 8-7 in 10 innings. Ohtani doubled in his first at-bat, but was held hitless the rest of the night. Ohtani did reach base twice more in the game as he walked in the top of the fourth and then reached on a throwing error in the eighth.

Shohei Ohtani Shows Encouraging Progress in Return to Pitching originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Los Angeles Dodgers are aiming for a series win over NL West rival San Diego Padres to start the week. LA's biggest problem while emerging as the front-runners in the NL West has been in their pitching rotation.

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani could be returning to the pitching rotation sooner rather than later, according to the latest projection.

Ohtani throws 44 pitches to hitters in his third live batting practice session, while Snell and Glasnow throw bullpen sessions. “Really encouraging,” Manager Dave Roberts says.

Starting staff’s struggles means Padres are asking more and more of relievers, adding a new problem to existing issues in left field and beyond