Dodgers shift Eric Lauer back to bullpen role

It sounds highly unlikely that Ohtani will make his return to Los Angeles’ rotation this weekend based on Roberts adding that the two-way superstar isn’t feeling 100 percent physically due to ongoing left knee and right biceps issues. The club is expected to make a final decision following Saturday afternoon’s contest in Detroit. Regardless, it’ll be Tyler Glasnow doing the heavy lifting on Sunday. The general expectation remains that Ohtani will return to the Dodgers’ rotation in the near future, but it doesn’t sound imminent after Friday’s abbreviated bullpen session didn’t go exactly as anticipated. Simply put, the franchise can’t really afford to take any chances with the postseason right around the corner. There should be additional clarity on his status in the coming days.

At this point, it’s nearly impossible to predict what comes next for the two-way superstar. Ohtani could potentially take the ball as an opener for Sunday’s series finale against the Tigers, with Tyler Glasnow following in a bulk-relief role, or the Dodgers could push him back to Tuesday’s series opener against the Cardinals. His return to Los Angeles’ rotation feels imminent, even if the exact timing remains murky. There should be some much-needed clarity by the end of the weekend.

Sasaki was pulled from Wednesday’s start against the Braves after the blister issue cropped up. No word yet on how long he’ll be shelved for, but he’ll miss at least one trip through the Dodgers’ rotation. Eric Lauer will move back from the bullpen to take his place in the club’s six-man rotation for the time being.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters Ohtani is trending towards starting against the Tigers on Sunday. There should be a definitive update on his status leading into the weekend but all signs point to the generational talent making his first start for Los Angeles since early July. It sounds like there’s a possibility that Ohtani piggybacks with Tyler Glasnow in some capacity for workload reasons this weekend.

All of the runs came in the first, and he actually should have given up one more, but a wild pitch that would have scored Michael Harris II was wrongly called a foul ball. After that, though, Glasnow was terrific. He allowed just two singles and walked none over his final four innings, and his stuff was excellent throughout. There’s no guarantee he’ll remain healthy in September, but if he does, he could be a top 20 SP for the month.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts didn’t rule out the possibility that Ohtani could take the ball against Detroit this weekend but he’ll need to make it through another throwing session this week before that decision is made. The 32-year-old two-way superstar hasn’t pitched in a game setting since early July due to a knee issue.

After 3 1/2 months away, Glasnow will make his return from his back issues tonight against the Braves.

Nothing will be finalized until after Ohtani’s next bullpen session, but the Dodgers feel like he’s close. Ohtani threw 30 pitches in live batting practice Saturday. He hasn’t pitched in a game since July 3 because of knee and biceps issues.

It’ll be Glasnow’s first MLB start since May 6 after 3 1/2 months off with back problems. He won’t be on a specific pitch count after throwing 77 pitches in his last rehab start, and it should be safe to start him in mixed leagues.

Ohtani remains without a definitive timeline to return to pitching in games for the Dodgers, but the fact that he’s progressed to facing hitters again means that he’s getting close. It’s purely speculation, but it feels like the Dodgers are going to want to give him a couple outings in the final month to make sure that he’s ready before putting him back on the mound in the postseason. There should be additional clarity on his timetable at some point relatively soon.