Shohei Ohtani homers in first live BP, continues tracking toward Opening Day
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Exactly five months to the day of his second major reconstructive elbow surgery, Shohei Ohtani’s participation alone in his first live batting practice with the Dodgers represented a significant milestone as he tracks toward getting ready for Opening Day in Seoul next month.
The fact that he finished Monday afternoon’s session with a towering home run only added to the intrigue as the $700 million man prepares for his first season as Los Angeles’ designated hitter.
The reigning American League MVP once again made spring practice feel like a much grander spectacle, as a throng of players, front office personnel, media, fans and his agent gathered to watch. Facing pitchers for the first time this spring, Ohtani stood in against Ryan Brasier and took all five pitches he saw before taking his first hacks against Blake Treinen, painfully fouling a pitch off his foot and later swinging through another offering.
J.P. Feyereisen did not get off so easily.
In his third and final at-bat of live BP, Ohtani drove a heater “right down the middle” — as Feyereisen later described it — over the fence in right-center field, much to the excitement of the growing crowd.
“He’s a lot further along than I think any of us, maybe not named Shohei, would’ve expected,” manager Dave Roberts said last week. “He’s worked really hard and very diligent in his work, so he’s ahead of schedule. What that means as far as when he’s going to play in a Cactus League game, I don’t know that answer. But it just seems like every single day he keeps getting better and feels really good.”
While it already appeared evident from his initial batting practice sessions that Ohtani’s power would not be zapped by his elbow surgery — he homered on half of his 26 swings in batting practice on Friday, including five straight in one session — Monday’s display against an actual pitcher painted a better picture of just how far he has come since his elbow surgery on Sept. 19.
Ohtani was listed on the schedule to take live BP twice in the past three days, but he ended up taking regular batting practice on Friday and did not hit on the field Sunday. The Dodgers have allowed him to go at his own pace, as they have with stars in the past.
“I think with Shohei in particular, there’s a couple things,” Roberts said. “No. 1, he knows his body better than anyone. He’s very aware of his body and he’s been through this process before. And No. 2, we’re still trying to learn him. So, I think for the organization to say, ‘This is what you have to do,’ I don’t think that’s the right process. There’s got to be trust on both sides. I think where we’re at there’s good communication, then we’ve just got to trust each other.”
Monday, there was no need to amend the schedule. He felt ready to take live BP for the first time. Ohtani declined to speak to reporters after the session, but Feyereisen greeted a horde of media members afterward to explain the scene.
The Dodgers reliever — who is coming back from his own injury, having missed last season due to shoulder surgery — did not know he was going to face Ohtani. The reality became clear from the crowd of players and fans surrounding the field. Feyereisen recalled everyone getting “dead quiet” the moment Ohtani stepped to the plate.
“Obviously, with the following he has,” Feyereisen said, “it’s a little different.”
Ohtani had been on an every-other-day schedule taking batting practice. He had also stood in on Emmet Sheehan’s bullpen session to track pitches. The Dodgers do not want him to feel pressured or rushed to be ready for Opening Day, but Ohtani is making strides that would suggest he will be ready to play when they face the Padres in Korea on March 20.
Roberts said Ohtani won’t play in Thursday’s Cactus League opener, but it shouldn’t be long thereafter that he is playing in his first spring games as a Dodger — and homering off pitchers from a different team.
“I don’t think with Shohei that there’s a certain number of games or at-bats that he has to take to play games,” Roberts said. ” I think he’s been around long enough that when he feels like he’s ready to play in a game, he’ll play in a game.”
RELATED: Yoshinobu Yamamoto leaves Dodgers teammates awestruck with ‘incredible’ first session
Rowan Kavner covers MLB for FOX Sports. He previously was the Dodgers’ editor of digital and print publications. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.
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