Shohei Ohtani was set to face live pitching on Friday for the first time this spring. However, Ohtani didn’t come out of the Dodgers’ hitting lab until after the live session was over.
Instead, Ohtani just took normal batting practice, and for the third time, put on a show.
Ohtani took five swings, according to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. All five were home runs.
Ohtani continues to show off at batting practice as he works his way back from a torn UCL and an oblique injury.
As of now, Ohtani is confident he’ll be ready for the Dodgers’ regular season opener against the San Diego Padres in South Korea on March 20 and 21.
The Dodgers’ open their Cactus League play next Thursday, Feb. 22 against the Padres. By next week, we’ll have a better sense if Ohtani will be in the lineup for any of the early games. He’ll have to face live pitching before he’s able to get in a game, but that’ll likely come next week.
Photo Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports