The Dodgers have been taking things slowly with superstar as he prepares for his return to pitching. After just over a month off from regular bullpen se sions, Ohtani resumed throwing last weekend and threw another bullpen se sion earlier today. As noted by , Ohtani threw 26 pitches, and for the first time this year he included his splitter in the bullpen se sion. This came after what Plunkett described as a light bullpen se sion on Thursday. While thats a noticeable ramp-up in activity, it shouldnt be mistaken for the Dodgers accelerating Ohtanis timeline back to the big league mound. According to Plunkett, manager Dave Roberts indicated that the club hopes to replicate something akin to the schedule Ohtani will have when he returns to the big league mound as a starter by having him throw off the mound twice a week: once with a lighter bullpen se sion on Thursday followed by a full se sion on Saturday. Despite the superstar now getting back on the mound somewhat regularly, Plunkett notes that theres still a long way to go before hell be ready to pitch in a big league game for the Dodgers. He relays that, per Roberts, the next step for Ohtani would be to incorporate his entire arsenal into his bullpen se sions rather than exclusively fastballs and an occasional splitter. It wont be until Ohtani is using his full arsenal that facing live hitters in simulated games, which the Dodgers plan to use in lieu of a rehab a signment to get Ohtani up to game speed while still allowing him to continue Kenny Wharram Jersey serving as their everyday DH in the lineup, is on the table. Hell surely need several of those outings before hes ready to get into games, and Plunkett suggests that at this point a realistic timeline for Ohtanis pitching debut with the Dodgers would be sometime in June at the earliest. In the meantime, the Dodgers are utilizing a rotation of , , , , and . Both and could also return from the injured list before Ohtani is ready to pitch, giving the Dodgers a host of potential options for the rotation. More from around the NL West Rockies southpaw began the season on the injured list due to sorene s in his left shoulder, and while he was sent out for a rehab a signment just after Opening Day with an eye towards returning after just the first couple of weeks of the season, he was scratched from his next rehab start due to shoulder inflammation. That paved the way for Colorado to to the big leagues, and spoke to Gomber in more detail about the situation today. According to Harding, Gomber wasnt able to pitch at maximum effectivene s during his rehab start even after receiving an anti-inflammatory injection in his shoulder. As a result, Gomber noted that the plan now is for him to have a slower and more traditional rehab proce s. He wont throw for another week while the inflammation calms down, and will likely not return to the mound for another two or three weeks after that. While the Giants initially planned to use young right-hander as a long reliever and piggyback starter after he lost out on the fifth starter job to , it appears that may no longer be in the cards. As noted by , manager Bob Melvin told reporters today that the club is now treating Birdsong as a true reliever after his limited usage to begin the season. Birdsong has appeared just once in the Giants first week of games, making a two-inning appearance that saw him throw just 27 pitches. With Birdsong no longer stretched out as a starter for the time being, Melvin suggested that a one-inning appearance for the righty could be on the table. Birdsong pitched exclusively as a starter in the majors last year, with a 4.75 ERA in 16 starts, and hadnt made a relief appearance in the major or minor leagues at the Double-A level or higher at any point in his career prior to his 2025 debut. Nick Lardis Jersey