Shohei Ohtani has been working his way back to the mound after not having pitched since his last season with the Los Angeles Angels in 2023. After undergoing Tommy John surgery in September of that year, Ohtani was limited to serving as the designated hitter in his first season as a Los Angeles Dodger.

Well, it seems as if he could be toeing the rubber before too long, based on the latest update from Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. Ahead of Tuesday’s game against the San Diego Padres, Roberts told reporters that there’s a “north of zero” chance that Ohtani is able to return to pitching ahead of schedule, via Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.

The 30-year-old is currently expected to return to the mound after the All-Star break, but after throwing a few simulated innings on Tuesday, Roberts and pitching coach Mark Prior were both impressed with his progress. While Roberts wouldn’t commit to Ohtani coming back earlier than expected, he certainly did not rule it out, either.

Ohtani has been hitting leadoff and serving as L.A.’s designated hitter through the first 65 games of the 2025 season. He leads the National League with 23 home runs and a 1.015 OPS, and before long will add his Cy Young-caliber arm to a Dodgers rotation that’s been plagued by injury this year.

The last time Ohtani pitched in 2023, he had a 3.14 ERA across 23 starts and struck out 167 batters over 132 innings on the mound.