Shohei Ohtani delays bullpen return due to knee discomfort

NEW YORK: Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani did not throw his scheduled bullpen session on Saturday as he continues to manage discomfort in his left knee, prompting the club to delay his return to the mound.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed that Ohtani experienced "a little bit of regression" following his previous bullpen session on Wednesday, leading the team to adopt a cautious approach.

"We're going to just kick the can on that one," Roberts said.

"Like I said yesterday, we're not going to move forward until he feels 100% confident, we feel 100% confident that he should do it."

The 32-year-old right-hander has been among the National League's standout pitchers this season, posting a 1.79 ERA across 14 starts after returning to a full-time pitching role.

His most recent outing came on July 3rd against the San Diego Padres, when he allowed three runs over six innings.

Ohtani was subsequently withdrawn from his next scheduled start and skipped the All-Star festivities to focus on treatment, including a lubricant injection in his left knee on July 12th.

He was later pencilled in to face the Philadelphia Phillies before being scratched once again, opting instead for a bullpen session.

The Japanese star has dealt with recurring discomfort in the same knee since undergoing a procedure in 2019 to treat bipartite patella, a congenital condition in which the kneecap develops as two separate bones.

Despite the setback on the mound, Roberts stressed that Ohtani remains unaffected while batting or running.

"From his words, the hitting, the running, as he has done the last couple of nights, doesn't affect him," Roberts said. 

"So, I can only go by what him and the training staff are telling me. Unless I hear otherwise, that hitting compromises his health, then I'm going to keep putting him out there."