Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani is working his way back to pitching.
Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani (elbow) threw an up-down bullpen session Saturday in Arizona, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.
This was the first time Ohtani has done an up-down — meaning he simulated a break between innings — as he continues this pitching progression. Aside from the added wrinkle, the session was similar to recent bullpens the two-way star has thrown, as he tossed around 35 pitches consisting of four-seamers, two-seamers and splitters.
Ohtani has yet to deploy his full pitch mix or throw to live hitters, however, so he’s probably still at least a couple months away from returning to game action. The Dodgers plan to have him build up through simulated games since his role as a designated hitter precludes him from going on a minor-league rehab pitching assignment.
Here are 4 other Los Angeles Dodgers news stories you need to know, courtesy of Rotowire:
1. Blake Snell Will Resume Throwing Sunday
Ronald Martinez/Getty Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell has been sidelined since April 2025.
Blake Snell (shoulder) is expected to play catch Sunday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
Snell was previously expected to resume throwing Friday, but manager Dave Roberts indicated that the hurler came down with an illness that “set him back a couple days.” Snell hasn’t thrown at all since late April and received a cortisone injection in the hope that it would help with the inflammation in his left shoulder. The left-handed pitcher is likely several weeks away from returning to the Dodgers’ rotation.
2. Will Smith Gets a Rest on Saturday
Will Smith wasn’t in the lineup for Saturday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Smith is 1-for-11 with four strikeouts in his career against Arizona starter Corbin Burnes. The 30-year-old backstop will step out of the lineup Saturday while Austin Barnes started behind the dish and hit ninth.
3. Mookie Betts Continues Standout Play at Home
Mookie Betts went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a stolen base Friday in a 14-11 victory versus the Diamondbacks.
Betts’ RBI came on a sacrifice fly, and he also singled twice and swiped his third bag of the campaign. He’s been collecting hits in bunches of late — over his last 10 games, the All Star has notched exactly two hits seven times. Over that stretch, Betts is slashing .368/.419/.526 with a home run, 10 RBI, 13 runs and a 4:4 BB:K.
4. Andy Pages Continues to Swing Hot Bat
Christian Petersen/Getty Andy Pages stayed hot against the Diamondbacks on May 9, 2025.
Andy Pages went 2-for-5 with a double, two runs and three RBI in a 14-11 win over Arizona on Friday.
Pages had a couple of big hits in the contest — in the third inning, he stroked a two-run single to break a 3-3 tie, and in the ninth he notched an RBI double to contribute to a big Dodgers comeback in the final frame. T
here was a time earlier this season when the second-year outfielder was struggling and in danger of seeing less playing time, but Pages has turned things around with a red-hot stretch at the plate. Over his last 20 games, he’s slashing .375/.405/.613 with four home runs, five doubles, one triple, 15 runs, 17 RBI and three stolen bases.
