Shohei Ohtani takes key step in Dodgers return, with help of new technology

Shohei Ohtani has taken another step forward in his recovery from right arm and left knee injuries.On Saturday afternoon, the two-way star did base-running drills on the field during Dodgers batting practice –– and began taking simulated at-bats against the team’s Trajekt Arc pitching machine behind the scenes in the clubhouse batting cages.The former was the more visible development, marking the first time Ohtani had been seen on the field performing physical activities since he went on the injured list at the end of last week’s homestand.His work in the hitting cages, however, was a more telling sign of how quickly he might be able to return to action, representing a significant step in what has thus far been a setback-free ramp-up process.At the start of the week, Ohtani resumed hitting activities with incremental steps.First, he hit off a tee.

Then, he took soft tosses from coaches.In recent days, he had begun swinging off a pitching machine too.But the Trajekt machine is different; offering players augmented reality at-bats in which a video screen displays a specific pitcher’s wind-up before firing a ball out of a slot from their hand.In recent years, the technology has become ubiquitous around MLB clubhouses.

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By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Never miss a story And in lieu of a minor-league rehab stint –– impossible now with the minor-league season ending –– it will be Ohtani’s best way to hone a game-ready swing again.“You hope it bridges the gap a little bit,” hitting coach Aaron Bates said.

“So between machine, live pitching, Trajekt, somewhere in-between that, that’s the best you can do.”Bates has been part of the group overseeing Ohtani’s recent cage work.He said the slugger has looked “great” and shown no signs of his injuries whil...