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Shohei Ohtani could be nearing a step forward in his return to the mound. Per Dodger Blue, the Dodgers are exploring the possibility of having Ohtani throw a bullpen session to test his left knee, which has kept him out of the pitching rotation indefinitely. No firm date has been set, but the fact that a bullpen session is even on the table represents the first real movement we’ve gotten on this since the club shut him down.

The timeline here matters. Ohtani was scratched from his scheduled start on July 10, then received an Orthovisc injection in the knee days later. He was initially penciled in to pitch against the Phillies this past weekend but was pulled from that plan as well, with the team officially removing him from the rotation indefinitely. Through all of that, the Dodgers have been cautious — almost frustratingly so — about putting any kind of timeline on his return to pitching duties. Ohtani has continued to hit throughout this stretch (because of course he has), but losing his arm has been a significant blow to a rotation that was already leaning heavily on Yoshinobu Yamamoto after his complete-game effort in the doubleheader sweep of the Yankees.

A bullpen session would be the first real checkpoint. If Ohtani can throw off the mound without the knee barking, that opens the door to a rehab start or a gradual ramp-up back into the rotation. If he can’t, we’re probably looking at a longer absence — and the trade deadline conversation around pitching gets a lot louder. The Dodgers have already been linked to Tarik Skubal, and Ohtani’s pitching status is the single biggest variable in how aggressively they pursue an arm before the deadline.

I think the key detail here is the word “potentially.” This isn’t scheduled. This isn’t confirmed. The Dodgers are feeling this out, and that tells me the knee still isn’t where they want it to be. The Orthovisc injection is a viscosupplementation treatment designed to lubricate the joint and reduce irritation — it’s not a quick fix, and it can take a couple of weeks to reach full effectiveness. So the timing of a bullpen session in this window makes medical sense, even if it doesn’t give us much certainty.

For the Dodgers, this is the most important injury storyline of the summer. Ohtani as a two-way player changes the shape of the roster completely. Without him pitching, our rotation depth is thinner than we’d like, the bullpen carries more weight, and the front office has to weigh whether to spend significant prospect capital on a rental arm. With him pitching, we’re looking at the best roster in baseball, full stop. So a bullpen session — even a tentative, exploratory one — is a big deal. We’re watching this closely.

Source(s): Staff (Dodger Blue) | First reported: July 21, 2026 3:36 PM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers