The competition for innings and at-bats on the Los Angeles Dodgers is fierce.
The Dodgers have one of the biggest collections of talent modern baseball has seen, with multiple All-Stars and former MVP award winners left and right.
One of them is Shohei Ohtani, the $700 million man who will play the next 10 years in LA.
Ohtani is recovering from elbow surgery and is a bit behind the rest of his teammates when it comes to hitting.
Insider Fabian Ardaya had stated Ohtani would start facing live pitching “soon,” according to manager Dave Roberts.
Well, the day has come.
“Shohei Ohtani is on the schedule to face live pitching against Alex Vesia today,” Ardaya tweeted.
Shohei Ohtani is on the schedule to face live pitching against Alex Vesia today. https://t.co/rdKWwSudDO
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) February 16, 2024
The good thing about playing for a team like the Dodgers is that, in Ohtani’s case, he will get to have his first live looks since his elbow surgery against a really talented pitcher in Vesia, who has a 3.40 career ERA and significantly more strikeouts than innings pitched (202 in 148.1 IP).
It’s just a matter of time before Ohtani, a man who hit .304 with 44 home runs and a 1.066 OPS in five months last year, gets into a groove.
He is expected to be ready for Opening Day as a hitter.
Other Dodgers will have some action on Friday as newcomer Tyler Glasnow will also pitch live batting practice, per Ardaya, and you wouldn’t believe the group he will face: Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Jason Heyward, and Will Smith.
That’s certainly not too shabby, and speaks volumes about the quality of the roster that LA has been able to assemble.
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