Deal Done: Shohei Ohtani Signs a contract Extension of $467.9 million

Deal Done: Shohei Ohtani Signs a contract Extension of $467.9 million

The Dodgers had a scary moment on Sunday against the Rays when, in the bottom of the eighth, Tampa Bay reliever Richard Lovelady let a 92 MPH pitch to Shohei Ohtani get away from him. Ohtani half-swung, and his left hand took the full force of the blow. He took his base, holding his hand all the way there, but waved off trainers who were prepared to run out to check on him.

X-rays after the game revealed no damage, but heavy boos rained down as Dodgers fans had to, for a moment, think about what their team might look like without their $700 million man, who had just planted another flag in his Dodgers tenure with his 40th homer and 40th steal of the season just two nights before.

One day prior to the impact, he also threw from the mound for the first time since August of last year. Ohtani’s been working through his throwing progression slowly between games as LA’s DH, and getting back onto the mound is a huge step toward his return to pitching next season. The Dodgers seem adamant that he won’t pitch this season, which is probably for the best. They can’t risk Ohtani’s health at the plate by trying to push his elbow recovery, so we’ll have to wait a little longer to see him back in action on the other side of the ball.

Dodgers News: Shohei Ohtani pitching off the mound, Yoshinobu Yamamoto rehab assignment, Tyler Glasnow injury update
The Dodgers also got some good news on Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who has been absent for two months with triceps soreness and whose return could be the key to LA’s postseason. He’s been insistent about his goal of getting back to the majors this season, and it looks like he might actually get there. On Sunday, the Dodgers confirmed that he would embark on a Triple-A rehab assignment on Wednesday. He’ll only pitch two innings but, if all goes well, he might only need one more start after that before returning to the big league team.

While there’s good news for Ohtani and Yamamoto, there’s less for Tyler Glasnow. When Glasnow went onto the 15-day IL again on Aug. 16 (retroactive to Aug. 13), he was certain that he’d return as soon as his time was up. However, Dave Roberts said more recently that it was going to be a “slow process” for him. He did add that the Dodgers aren’t overly concerned about his ability to get back to the majors during the regular season, but it’s still not great news for a team that’s had to depend on Bobby Miller in the interim.

The Dodgers only have 30 games left until the end of the season, so Glasnow’s progress back is definitely something to keep a close eye on.