Shohei Ohtani has a new plan for his return, and the manager revealed he may pitch as an "opener."

Shohei Ohtani, the Japanese two-way star of the Los Angeles Dodgers, has been gradually resuming his pitching rehabilitation after pausing his throwing program since July when he skipped his scheduled start due to left knee inflammation, moving closer to returning to the mound. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts also revealed in a recent interview that if Ohtani can return to the mound before the end of the regular season, he might pitch as an "opener" rather than a full starter.

Ohtani's last game action on the mound was on July 4 against the San Diego Padres, where he started and pitched 6 innings, throwing 110 pitches, allowing 6 hits and 3 runs, striking out 9, and helping the Dodgers win 4-3. After that, due to left knee inflammation, he temporarily left the Dodgers' rotation and stopped throwing.

According to reports, Ohtani restarted his pitching comeback plan on August 9. After 17 days, he resumed catch play, spending about 20 minutes under the coaching staff's observation to gradually regain his feel. Finally, he extended the throwing distance to 90 feet (about 27.4 meters), the first time he reached that distance since stopping due to his left knee condition.

After receiving the report from the coaching staff, Roberts said that Ohtani's current pitching condition is quite good: "I heard he felt good after catch play. He also threw a few breaking balls and felt good about them. He himself is satisfied with how he feels."

As for Ohtani's potential return to the mound, Roberts also revealed that the team might not have him return to the traditional starter role but instead use him as an "opener," having him pitch 1 to 3 innings depending on the situation. This usage could even extend into the postseason. Roberts said: "Considering he is a two-way player, anything he gives us in any inning, regardless of how many innings, is a bonus. So whether it's 1, 2, or 3 innings, I'm not too concerned about a specific timeline."

However, Ohtani is still in the gradual recovery phase. The team has not set a clear timeline for when he can officially throw in the bullpen or return to live batting practice. Roberts also emphasized that they are taking a "day-to-day" approach with Ohtani and do not want the public to set a return date prematurely.

Roberts said: "However, I know that after we return to Los Angeles tomorrow, he will do catch play. But regarding Shohei, for now it's basically day-to-day, meaning we'll observe his condition daily and make judgments. So I don't want people to start anticipating too early about 'when he will next throw in the bullpen.'"