Shohei Ohtani: Bicep issue also delaying return to pitching

Turns out, Shohei Ohtani’s knee injury is not the only complicating factor in his uncertain status as a pitcher.Speaking to reporters for the first time in almost three weeks on Tuesday night, Ohtani revealed that his right bicep is also not 100% at the moment.Manager Dave Roberts added that Ohtani’s bicep did not respond well to a bullpen session he threw in Philadelphia last week, and is part of the reason why he has not attempted another bullpen session since then.Ohtani has dealt with what he described as minor bicep discomfort a couple times earlier this season, most recently during a July 3 two-way start in which the Dodgers’ star last took the mound in a game.That night, he said his bicep tightened up on him during an at-bat as a hitter, leading him to be removed from the game early.Though Ohtani has not made another pitching start since then, the Dodgers had previously attributed the break only to the lingering left knee injury he has been dealing with since mid-June.Then came Tuesday night, however, when Ohtani disclosed his bicep problem following the Dodgers’ 7-6 loss to the Mariners (a game in which he went 3-for-4 at the plate with his first home run since the All-Star break, while continuing to serve as the Dodgers’ designated hitter).“There too, it’s a judgment of to what degree I can push it,” Ohtani said in Japanese, describing the precautions being taken with his bicep as similar to those with his knee.“It’s still July.

What judgment will be made in August and September can be decided then.”Speaking after Ohtani’s press availability, Roberts also confirmed that Ohtani’s bicep is also a reason he has not thrown a bullpen session, or even played catch from flat ground, since last Wednesday’s 31-pitch bullpen in Philadelphia.“I think in the bullpen in Philadelphia, [his bicep] just wasn’t responding [afterward], nor was his knee,” Roberts said.“There is an effect on the lower half to the compromising of the upper ...