NEW YORK — Another day, another new twist in Shohei Ohtani’s knee injury saga.
The Dodgers’ two-way star did not throw a bullpen session as originally expected Saturday, manager Dave Roberts said, after having some “regression” with his left knee issue following a bullpen session earlier in the week.
“Just doesn’t feel 100%, because I think that the last ‘pen that he had, there was a little bit of regression,” Roberts said. “So we want to make sure that that doesn’t happen again.”
On Wednesday in Philadelphia, Ohtani threw off a mound for the first time in two weeks — and the first time since he had a lubricant injection in his ailing knee during the All-Star break.
Initially, the team said the session went well.
But in order for Ohtani to throw another bullpen Saturday, Roberts cautioned, he needed to feel good in the days after.
Evidently, he didn’t, with Roberts describing Saturday’s news as a “backward” step that was “not ideal” for the right-hander’s recovery process as a pitcher.
Roberts reiterated that he “absolutely” expected Ohtani to pitch again this season, though he didn’t give a more specific target date beyond sometime in August.
Ohtani has not made a pitching start since July 3 and has been battling his knee injury — which, notably, has not impacted his availability as a hitter — since mid-June.
