Dodgers manager Dave Roberts opens door for Shohei Ohtani to pitch in playoffs

There’s a non-zero shot Shohei Ohtani takes the mound in a big league game in 2024.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts didn’t rule out letting the two-way superstar pitch for his team this postseason despite not toeing the rubber yet all season.

“I wouldn’t say no way … I’m not going to close the door 100 percent,” Roberts told the Los Angeles Times .

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Ohtani has been limited to hitting this season after undergoing elbow surgery last September and only began throwing off a mound in late August.

With such a short build-up, Roberts admits the possibility of Ohtani facing hitters in a live game is still a long shot.

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“If I was scripting a movie or writing a book, it would be a no-brainer that he comes out of rehabilitation and throws the last pitch,” Roberts said. “The problem is, in reality, he hasn’t thrown a leverage pitch in over a year. If he were to come out and it does go awry, it’s not worth potential injury. You just cannot duplicate the stress of that one inning. I just don’t think it’s worth it.”

Health permitting, Roberts indicated that Ohtani is itching to get back on the slab.

“Shohei is on board,” Roberts said on Sirius XM MLB Network Radio Friday . “… We’ll just have to see how it plays out.”

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Ohtani is putting up a historic season in 2024, his first with the Dodgers after signing a record 10-year, $700 million contract over the offseason.

Heading into Friday’s play, Ohtani is slashing .292/.375/.617 with 47 homers and 48 stolen bases, putting him on the precipice of becoming the first 50-50 player in MLB history.

Anything the Dodgers can get from Ohtani, who has a 3.01 ERA IN 86 starts with the Angels, as a pitcher would be welcome.

The team has dealt with countless injuries to their starting staff with Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Clayton Kershaw and many others missing time.

Despite that, the Dodgers sit at 87-59 and hold a five-game lead over the Diamondbacks in the NL West.

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