The Los Angeles Dodgers got one star pitcher back on Wednesday, and hope that another's return to the mound won't be that far behind.
Los Angeles activated closer Edwin Díaz from the injured list, and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told reporters that he expects Shohei Ohtani to pitch again this season.
The three-time MLB Reliever of the Year had surgery on his pitching elbow in April and began a rehab assignment earlier this month. Over seven rehab outings, Díaz struck out 11 while allowing two earned runs in 5.2 innings of work.
Díaz has only made seven appearances for the Dodgers this season after signing a three-year, $69-million deal with the club in the off-season. He owns a 10.50 ERA on the year.
Ohtani, meanwhile, has been sidelined from his starts on the mound while dealing with working through an irritated left knee. He also had a bicep issue flare up recently, but Friedman said Wednesday that “if it weren't for the knee, he would be pitching right now.”
“It keeps getting better,” Friedman said. “Does he feel 100 per cent in his arm? No, but neither does any pitcher in late July.”
The team wants Ohtani's knee to feel as good as possible before he begins a throwing program on flat ground or off a mound.
“I feel confident that relatively soon he’s going to start getting out and start ramping up for catch-play and bullpens and getting him back,” Friedman said.
That belief is based on the progress Ohtani says he's felt so far and an MRI done on his knee during the all-star break that came back clear. That's also when he had a lubricant injection in his knee.
In the meantime, Ohtani will continue serving as the designated hitter. He has said his knee doesn't bother him when he's hitting.
“If there was something structural, then we would be much more concerned,” Friedman said. “The fact that there’s not and the fact that it does keep improving suggests that we’re on the right path.”
Friedman said Ohtani's current unavailability on the mound hasn't created an acute need to add pitching with Monday's trade deadline approaching.
The Dodgers have been mentioned as a possible destination for two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal of Detroit.
“We’re always open-minded to different things,” Friedman said, “but the biggest thing for us is to do everything we can in the off-season to not put ourselves in a position in July where you absolutely have to do something because it is far and away the worst time to acquire a player.”
Ohtani is 8-2 on the mound with a 1.79 ERA and 95 strikeouts over 85 2/3 innings.
The four-time MVP hasn't pitched since July 3. His form didn't look the same in his handful of starts before the all-star break due to the sore knee that first flared up June 11 and led to him overcompensating with his upper body, creating tightness in his right biceps.
“The stuff was still in a really good place, execution was a little bit off from what we’ve typically seen from him,” Friedman said. “I'll bet on him to execute.”
— with files from The Associated Press
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