Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts Provides Huge Update on Shohei Ohtani

An important update on Ohtani's progress.

Shohei Ohtani took batting practice for the second time at Dodgers camp on Wednesday, and yet again put on a show.

After hitting 10 home runs in 21 swings the first time around, Ohtani hit 10 home runs in 29 swings this time. These were the first and second times Ohtani has taken outside batting practice since suffering his oblique injury and undergoing surgery on his torn UCL.

On Thursday, Dodgers manger Dave Roberts spoke about Ohtani, and provided a huge update on his progress.

Roberts said Ohtani will take part in live batting practice "soon," and could suit up for Cactus League games on the sooner side.

#Dodgers manager Dave Roberts didn’t give an exact timeline, but said Shohei Ohtani will take part in live BP “soon.” And added it was going to be hard to eventually keep him out of Cactus League games.

— Juan Toribio (@juanctoribio) February 15, 2024

Ohtani is a competitor, so it's clear he wants to be out there with his team as much as possible.

On the flip side, the Dodgers want to be extra careful in his recovery, so it would make sense to slow-play him this spring.

Ohtani has spoken a lot about his recovery, though, and said he's "confident" he'll be ready to DH in the Opening Series in Korea against the San Diego Padres on March 20.

As spring training rolls around, Ohtani continues to check off more boxes, which is a great sign for his availability to start the season.