Roberts unsure when Ohtani will return to mound: 'We just don't know'

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts isn't quite sure when Shohei Ohtani will make his long-awaited return to the mound.

Ohtani didn't pitch at all during the 2024 regular season after undergoing elbow surgery. The Dodgers had initially looked at May as a timeline for when Ohtani might return to pitching.

"I just feel, and we all feel, (that we're) just trying to make it a broad time to return," Roberts said Thursday, according to The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya. "We just don't know. And so I think that when he's ready, when the process, the progression, as it's going on, we'll know. But I don't want to put any kind of expectation on you guys, or Shohei."

Roberts added that the club wants to be mindful of balancing Ohtani's preparation to hit with his continued work to be ready as a pitcher.

Ohtani hasn't thrown a bullpen session since Feb. 25 but has continued throwing exercises since then.

"We just felt that to intensify the bullpens alongside of the intensity of the games wasn't smart," Roberts said. "So we just wanted to kind of slow-play it."

Ohtani had a brilliant offensive season in his first year with the Dodgers in 2024. He became the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season and helped the Dodgers win the World Series. The 30-year-old joined Hall of Famer Frank Robinson as the only players in history to win MVP in both leagues.

The Dodgers are currently expected to begin the season with a rotation that features Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and Roki Sasaki. Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May, Bobby Miller, and Landon Knack are candidates to fill the last spot until Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw return from injury.