Dr. Neil Elatrache, the team doctor for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Shohei Ohtani's physician, revealed the timeline for Ohtani's return to the mound.

Ohtani, who debuted in Major League Baseball in 2018, made a splash as a two-way player. Up until last year, he took the mound 86 times, recording 38 wins and 19 losses with an earned run average of 3.01. In 2022, he achieved his first double-digit win season with 15 wins and 9 losses, marking a personal best for wins in a single season. In 2023, he again reached double-digit wins with a record of 10 wins and 5 losses.

As a batter, he played in 875 games, maintaining a batting average of .282 (3,119 at-bats and 878 hits), with 225 home runs, 567 RBIs, 562 runs, and 145 stolen bases. Last year, he had a batting average of .310 (636 at-bats and 197 hits), hitting 54 home runs, recording 130 RBIs, scoring 134 runs, and stealing 59 bases, becoming the first player in Major League Baseball history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season and winning the National League MVP.

Ohtani underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in September 2023 and played only as a batter last year. During the World Series against the New York Yankees last year, he suffered a left shoulder injury while sliding and underwent surgery for a torn labrum in his left shoulder in November.

According to a report by Japan's influential media outlet Yomiuri Shimbun on the 19th, Dr. Elatrache noted regarding Ohtani's return to the mound, "I know the timing when he can return to the mound, but a specific date has not been set."

Ohtani has stopped throwing practice since his last session on the 25th of last month. Consequently, the timeline for his return to the mound is expected to be delayed. Dr. Elatrache remarked, "I hope people do not forget that Ohtani underwent elbow surgery two years ago, followed by a serious shoulder injury during the World Series last year." This indicated that there is absolutely no reason to rush his return to the mound due to concerns about re-injury.

He added, "It has only been four months since the left shoulder surgery. Although he has recovered quickly, throwing training must be approached very cautiously. He needs to be in perfect condition. If he only underwent elbow surgery, it wouldn't be a significant problem, but we need to closely monitor his shoulder's condition as well."

Of course, there are positive factors as well. Dr. Elatrache stated, "Currently, there are increasing cases of athletes performing at a similar level after their second Tommy John surgery compared to their first surgery." Regarding the left shoulder condition, he predicted, "From what I've seen when he is batting, he does not appear to be experiencing any pain."

Meanwhile, on the 18th, Ohtani played as the leadoff hitter in the first game of the Tokyo Series against the Chicago Cubs at Tokyo Dome, achieving the only multi-hit game among the team's batters (2 hits in 5 at-bats and 2 runs), contributing to a 4-1 victory.

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