Shohei Ohtani throws off mound for first time since elbow surgery, but Dodgers insist he won't pitch in 2024

Friday night Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani joined the 40-40 club and did not spare any drama . He stole his 40th base in the fourth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays , then hit a walk-off grand slam for his 40th home run. Ohtani is the sixth member of the 40-40 club and he got there in the 129th game of the season, by far the fastest in history.

On Saturday, Ohtani hit another milestone, albeit one not quite as historic as going 40-40. Ohtani threw off a mound Saturday for the first time since having elbow surgery last September. It was a very light throwing session -- only 10 pitches in the bullpen -- which is typical for the first time throwing off a mound after surgery. Still, it's a significant step in Ohtani's rehab.

The Dodgers have said Ohtani will not pitch at all this season and, frankly, doing so would be very aggressive. He'd have less than six weeks to complete his rehab, which includes facing hitters and regaining feel for his pitches, before returning even as a one-inning reliever in the postseason. Never say never, but Ohtani pitching in games in 2024 seems awfully unlikely.

Ohtani the hitter is doing just fine though. He added his 41st home run of the season Saturday and owns a .294/.379/.619 batting line. Among other things, Ohtani leads the National League with 41 homers and 99 RBI, and he is 13 points behind Marcell Ozuna for the league's batting title. With five weeks to play, a Triple Crown is within reach.

After a sluggish July, the Dodgers are 14-7 in August, and have won 11 of their last 15 games. They have baseball's best record at 77-53 and are three games up on the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL West.