Shohei Ohtani could return to pitching as soon as next week, per CBS Sports

Shohei Ohtani could return to pitching as soon as next week, CBS Sports reported, after seven weeks away from the mound following knee inflammation and a subsequent bicep issue.

The report offers no timetable firmer than "as soon as next week" and does not specify whether that return would take the form of a game appearance, a bullpen session, or the resumption of a formal throwing program. The Dodgers have not publicly detailed either injury or announced a return date.

What happened

Ohtani last pitched on July 3, per CBS Sports. The report attributes the absence first to knee inflammation and then to a bicep issue, though the club has not publicly disclosed the nature or severity of either condition, nor whether Ohtani was placed on the injured list in his capacity as a pitcher.

The report does not indicate whether Ohtani has resumed throwing, whether he has faced hitters in any setting, or what intermediate steps remain before he could take the mound in a game. No rehab assignment, bullpen schedule, or medical update has been announced by the club.

Why it matters

For most of the league, a starting pitcher missing seven weeks is a rotation problem. For the Dodgers, it is something slightly more complicated: Ohtani is the only player in baseball who can occupy a lineup slot every day and still be a legitimate starting pitcher. His absence since July 3 has removed that flexibility entirely, leaving the club to manage its rotation the conventional way — which, given the names on hand, is not exactly a hardship, but is a narrower set of options than the one the roster was built around.

The operational stakes grow as October approaches. Per the CBS Sports report, a return next week would give Ohtani several weeks to build arm strength and potentially pitch multiple times before the postseason, assuming the timetable holds and no further setbacks arise. The report does not address whether he would slot back into the rotation immediately, pitch in relief, or follow some other reintegration plan.

The report also does not address Ohtani's status as a hitter. There is no indication in the material that the knee inflammation or bicep issue has affected his availability in the lineup.

Where the club stands

The Dodgers carry an 85-57 record (.599), hold first place in the NL West, and enter Sunday riding a three-game winning streak. Their division magic number stands at 10.

Blake Snell is the scheduled starter Sunday against the Pittsburgh Pirates at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium. The club then travels to Atlanta for a pair of games beginning Tuesday, with Tyler Glasnow lined up against the Braves on Tuesday and Roki Sasaki scheduled for Wednesday against AJ Smith-Shawver at Truist Park.

That three-game stretch — Snell, Glasnow, Sasaki — is a rotation that would draw envy from most of the league, which is part of what makes the Ohtani pitching question feel more like a depth bonus than a crisis. The Dodgers have not announced any rotation adjustments tied to the CBS Sports report's timetable.

The numbers

The Dodgers' 85-57 mark puts them at .599 on the season, leading the NL West with a magic number of 10 and a three-game winning streak heading into the final stretch of the regular season.

What we don't know yet

### Is Ohtani actually throwing off a mound yet?

The CBS Sports report does not say. It does not indicate whether Ohtani has thrown off a mound since July 3, whether he has been cleared by team medical staff, or what his throwing program has looked like during the layoff. The phrase "as soon as next week" is the report's outer bound of optimism, not a club announcement.

The bicep issue in particular remains largely uncharacterized. The report does not specify whether imaging was performed, what treatment was involved, or how the bicep condition relates — if at all — to the earlier knee inflammation. The Dodgers have not addressed either injury in detail publicly, and the CBS Sports report does not carry a club source on the record.

No corresponding roster move, rehab assignment, or activation has been announced. Under general league rules, a pitcher on the injured list would be eligible for a rehab assignment of up to 30 days before a club must act on his status — but the report does not specify whether Ohtani is on the injured list as a pitcher, so that mechanic may or may not apply here.

What to watch

The most immediate signal will be any public comment from the Dodgers on Ohtani's throwing program. A reported bullpen session or live batting practice appearance would represent meaningful progress toward the timetable CBS Sports described.

If Ohtani does resume pitching activity next week, the club will face a sequencing question: how many outings does he need before he is ready for a major-league game, and in what role? Seven weeks away from competitive pitching typically involves a multi-step buildup — flat-ground throws, bullpen sessions, a simulated game or rehab outing — before a pitcher faces live hitters at full intensity. The Dodgers have not announced any such schedule, and the report does not describe one.

The upcoming road series in Atlanta will also test the rotation as constructed. Glasnow and Sasaki take the ball Tuesday and Wednesday at Truist Park against a Braves lineup that will have its own October ambitions. How that series unfolds may quietly shape how urgently the club wants Ohtani back on the mound — or how comfortably they can afford to let him build up at whatever pace the medical staff prefers.

The report leaves the larger question open: Ohtani as a pitcher in October is a different proposition than Ohtani as a pitcher in late August, and the path from one to the other runs through a set of steps the Dodgers have not yet described publicly.