Ohtani Hits Off Tee, Feels Good on IL

Shohei Ohtani took his first swings off a tee since landing on the injured list and felt good, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday, keeping Los Angeles on a gradual build toward a late-season return. The Associated Press, NBC Sports, ESPN, and Reuters all tracked the same Roberts update as the Dodgers continued their road swing without their four-time MVP in the traveling party.

Ohtani has been on the 15-day IL since Sept. 8 with right biceps inflammation. He is not traveling with the club while he works out and gets treatment in Los Angeles. Wednesday's tee work was the first bat contact since the IL stamp, a small step that still matters in a September where every healthy at-bat counts.

What Roberts said

"Shohei hit off the tee and felt good, too," Roberts said. "Don't know what's in store for tomorrow, but I know that there's going to be a consistent build-up. Don't know when the time of return to play is, but today was positive, and hopefully we can just keep building towards that."

Roberts also said he expects Ohtani to play in some regular-season games before the postseason, without locking a date or a game count. The Dodgers have already clinched a playoff spot. Their NL West magic number sat at one in the same cycle of notes, which means October planning and September caution are running on parallel tracks.

Earliest activation math still points near Sept. 23 once the 15-day clock clears, with a short runway of regular-season games left after that. Treat every day as a build day, not a countdown graphic. Live batting practice and game-speed swings will be the next public tells after tee work.

Fantasy and October stakes

Fantasy managers should leave Ohtani stashed where IL slots exist and wait for live batting practice and simulated game chatter before rostering him as active. Dodgers fans care about October readiness more than one September box score, especially with a playoff berth already banked.

The sourced board today is tee swings, felt good, consistent build-up, and an expectation of some regular-season at-bats. No invented pitch counts. No invented return date. No claim that he is cleared for the lineup tomorrow.

Positive day in Los Angeles. Next swing session is the tell. Keep watching Roberts for how quickly the build moves from tee to live pitching.

Tee work done. Build continues. That is the Ohtani update.