In the quiet ritual of a tee session, Shohei Ohtani took his first swings since injury sidelined him, marking not a triumph but a beginning — the earliest step in a carefully measured return. The Dodgers, with October looming, find themselves weighing patience against urgency, uncertain not only of when their most singular talent will return, but of what form that return will take. His injury has opened a deeper question about the nature of his gift: whether a player who has redefined what one person can be in baseball must now choose to be only one thing.
Ohtani Takes First Swings Off Tee, Edges Closer to Regular-Season Return
A player working through the mechanics of his swing with a stationary ball
Mark
So Ohtani's actually swinging now? That's the first real sign he might play again this year?
Mimi
Right—tee work is where it starts. It's the baseline test: can he swing without pain, can his mechanics hold up? It's progress, but it's the very beginning of the progression.
Luke
But we don't actually know if he'll play in the regular season at all. The Dodgers haven't committed to that. They're just saying they're evaluating him.
Mimi
Exactly. They're being cautious. And that makes sense—if he's not ready, pushing him could make things worse.
Mark
What's the timeline looking like? How long does it usually take to go from tee work to actual games?
Mimi
It varies. Could be weeks, could be longer. Depends on how he responds to each stage and what the injury actually is.
Luke
And there's this whole other conversation happening about whether he should even pitch anymore. Some people are saying he should just be a hitter.
Mark
Is that realistic? Can he just stop pitching?
Mimi
Technically, yes. But that's not who he is as a player. The two-way thing is what makes him special. Asking him to give that up is asking him to be someone else.
Luke
Though if the injury is pitch-related, or if pitching puts him at risk, the Dodgers might not have a choice. That's a decision that could be made for him.
Mark
So we're really in a wait-and-see moment.
Mimi
Completely. Every day of rehab, every phase he clears or doesn't clear—that's the story right now.
Il Polso
- Ohtani's first post-injury swings came off a stationary tee — a modest but meaningful signal that rehabilitation has moved from rest into motion.
- The Dodgers have committed to no timeline, leaving his regular-season return and playoff availability genuinely unresolved as September narrows.
- A growing chorus in baseball is calling for Ohtani to abandon pitching altogether, arguing the two-way burden is no longer worth the injury risk.
- The standard rehabilitation ladder — tee work, live batting practice, simulated games — offers a path back, but each rung depends on how his body responds.
- Los Angeles faces a delicate gamble: push for a September return and risk further harm, or protect him for October and navigate the playoffs shorthanded in the meantime.
In the quiet ritual of a tee session, Shohei Ohtani took his first swings since injury sidelined him, marking not a triumph but a beginning — the earliest step in a carefully measured return. The Dodgers, with October looming, find themselves weighing patience against urgency, uncertain not only of when their most singular talent will return, but of what form that return will take. His injury has opened a deeper question about the nature of his gift: whether a player who has redefined what one person can be in baseball must now choose to be only one thing.
Shohei Ohtani stepped into a batting cage and took swings off a tee — no live pitching, no game pressure, just the careful mechanics of a man working his way back. In the context of a season tilting toward October, even that small act carried meaning.
The Dodgers have offered no timeline for his return. The organization is moving phase by phase, letting his body dictate the pace. Tee work is only the first step; live batting practice, simulated games, and competitive play still lie ahead — each contingent on the one before it going smoothly.
Beyond the question of when is the question of what. Voices across the baseball world have begun arguing that Ohtani should set aside pitching entirely, becoming a designated hitter and outfielder rather than continuing the two-way path that made him extraordinary. Others resist the idea, insisting that to ask him to choose is to diminish what he is.
For the Dodgers, the tension is real: a fully healthy Ohtani in the postseason is worth more than a compromised one in September, yet the regular season is running out. If he doesn't return in time, they'll enter the playoffs without him. If he returns too soon, they risk losing him again at the worst possible moment.
The tee session was quiet proof that a return is possible. It was also a reminder of how much remains uncertain — about his body, his timeline, and the shape of his career on the other side of this injury.
Shohei Ohtani stepped into the batter's box for the first time since landing on the injured list, taking swings off a tee in what amounts to the earliest stage of a carefully managed return to baseball. The moment itself was modest—no game situation, no live pitching, just a player working through the mechanical fundamentals of his swing with a stationary ball. But in the context of his absence and the compressed timeline of a season winding toward October, even this small progression carries weight.
The Dodgers have not yet committed to a timeline for Ohtani's return to regular-season play. The organization remains in a holding pattern, evaluating how his body responds to each phase of his rehabilitation. What began as an injury serious enough to warrant a trip to the injured list has now entered a phase where incremental progress—a tee session, then live batting practice, then perhaps a game—will determine whether he plays in the final weeks of the season or waits for the postseason.
The uncertainty extends beyond the simple question of when he might bat again. There is also the matter of what role he will occupy when he does return. Some voices in the baseball world have begun suggesting that Ohtani should abandon his pitching duties entirely, focusing solely on his work as a designated hitter and outfielder. This represents a significant departure from the two-way approach that has defined his career and made him one of baseball's most distinctive talents. The injury has forced the Dodgers to reconsider not just his immediate availability but his long-term function within the team.
The hitting progression itself follows a standard protocol: tee work comes first, establishing that basic mechanics are sound and pain-free. From there, the path typically leads to live batting practice, then simulated games, and finally a return to competitive play. How quickly Ohtani moves through these stages will depend on how he feels and how the medical staff assesses his readiness. There is no fixed schedule, no guarantee that he will clear each hurdle on any particular timeline.
For the Dodgers, the calculus is complex. A healthy Ohtani in October is more valuable than a rushed Ohtani in September, yet every day that passes is a day closer to the end of the regular season. If he does not return before the postseason begins, the team will have to navigate the playoffs without him—a significant loss given his talent. If he does return but is not fully ready, he risks further injury or ineffectiveness at a moment when the team needs its best players performing at their peak.
The broader conversation about his future as a pitcher has gained momentum in recent weeks. Some analysts and commentators have argued that the two-way experiment, while remarkable, may have run its course—that the injury risk of pitching, combined with the demands of being a full-time hitter, is simply too great. Others counter that Ohtani's identity as a player is bound up in his ability to do both, and that asking him to choose one would diminish what makes him exceptional.
For now, the focus remains on the immediate: how his body responds to tee work, whether he can progress to the next phase without setback, and whether the calendar allows for a meaningful return before the season ends. The swings he took off that tee represent the first concrete evidence that a return is possible, but they also underscore how much uncertainty still surrounds his availability and his role when he does come back.
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