pitched off a mound for the first time this spring today, as noted by . The bullpen se sion consisted of 14 throws, all of which were fastballs. Ohtanis velocity sat 92-94 mph, which is well below his usual mid-90s velocity but not surprising for a pitcher who is still several months away from pitching in a big league game. The news that Ohtani has resumed throwing and that he largely looked good doing so is Immanuel Quickley Jersey surely heartening for Dodgers fans, but his timeline for a return to the mound remains unchanged. The clubs plan appears to be for Ohtani to join the clubs rotation at , with a set to be used by the Dodgers until then. As relayed by Ardaya, manager Dave Roberts indicated that Ohtani could resume facing live hitters before the club flies out to Tokyo for an early start to the regular season against the Cubs next month. While the early returns of Ohtanis rehab proce s are encouraging, plenty of questions remain between now and Ohtanis first official pitching appearance in a Dodgers uniform. Ohtanis rehab proce s as a pitcher will have to be balanced against his duties as the Dodgers everyday DH, creating a unique conundrum for the Dodgers to try and work through. The Angels dealt with a similar problem when Ohtani attempted to resume pitching in 2020 following Tommy John surgery, and that ended disastrously as he recorded just five outs and turned in his only below-average season as a big league hitter. That said, it appears the Dodgers arent likely to send Ohtani on a rehab a signment before he makes his return to pitching. While rehab a signments are customary for pitchers coming off major surgeries, Ardaya notes that the club has had succe s returning to the big league mound without a rehab a signment in the past after lengthy stays on the injured list, and he relays that pitching coach emphasized that rehabbing and hitting at the same time seemed to turn out pretty well for the reigning NL MVP last year. As an alternative to a rehab a signment, the plan seems to be for the Dodgers to hold simulated games for Ohtani before the Dodgers regularly scheduled game for that day begins, allowing him to face live hitters in the form of either players from the big league bench or minor league hitters. Ohtani and the Dodgers will be looking to strike this balance all while Ohtani looks to put behind him. Ohtani was injured sliding into second base during Game Two of the World Series last year and ultimately ended up going under the knife to repair a torn labrum after dislocating his shoulder on that aforementioned slide. Former Dodgers outfielder famously struggled to return to form as a hitter after a similar injury, and Ardaya notes Ohtani has admitted that even as camp opens up hes still dealing with a somewhat limited range of motion in his shoulder. Still, theres a month left until the Dodgers begin the regular season in Tokyo, so Ohtani still has plenty of time to get his swing into a good place even as he balances that with rehabbing as a pitcher. Ohtani wasnt the only player in Dodgers camp to receive a notable injury update today. as noted by , veteran first baseman told reporters he was almost a full player at this point in his rehab proce s after undergoing offseason ankle surgery. Freeman has resumed doing everything but running at this point, and while hes not expected to be ready for the start of Spring Training games later this month Freeman emphasized that he remains on track to start the season in the lineup for the Dodgers in Japan. Maurice Harkless Jersey