Shohei Ohtani comes out of his bullpen session without issues and will throw another

Shohei Ohtani, the Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar, is set to throw another bullpen session after a successful outing on Friday. Ohtani has been working his way back from a left knee injury that has sidelined him since July 3. Following the bullpen session, manager Dave Roberts indicated that Ohtani would likely progress to throwing batting practice if he performs well again.

On Friday, Ohtani threw 35 pitches, covering his entire pitch mix, according to Roberts. The pitcher had a lubricant injection into his left knee on July 12, which kept him out of the All-Star Game. Ohtani's season statistics include an 8-2 record, a 1.79 ERA, and 95 strikeouts in 85 2/3 innings. Additionally, he has batted .290 with 27 home runs and 74 RBIs in 113 games.

Fellow Dodger catcher Will Smith, who has been sidelined by a neck injury since June 5, also responded positively to his workout on Friday, having taken batting practice and caught a bullpen session. Roberts expressed optimism about Smith's recovery, noting that he has been pain-free for 10 days and is hopeful that he will be back by September.