Ohtani's mound return still up in air for Dodgers

LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Dodgers, tied for the sport's best record and owners of its largest division lead, are only getting healthier. Enrique Hernandez, their effervescent super-utility player, was activated off the injured list Tuesday. Edwin Diaz, their star closer, will follow Wednesday. Blake Snell, their $182 million starting pitcher, could be back next week. And Will Smith, their every-day catcher, has started baseball activities, an encouraging sign in his recovery from a neck injury. But Shohei Ohtani's pitching status is still in question. Ohtani, 32, was scratched from his first start after the All-Star break July 22 because of continued discomfort in his left knee. He threw a 30-pitch bullpen session in Philadelphia that day, but another pen scheduled for three days later was ultimately postponed. Speaking after a 7-6 loss to the Seattle Mariners, one in which he hit a leadoff homer and later raced from home to third after his double was bobbled in the right-center-field gap, Ohtani said the knee is "getting better" but revealed his right biceps also continues to be a problem. "Just similar issue with the knee -- do we consider pushing this?" Ohtani said through an interpreter while addressing the media for the first time since July 11. "It is still July. I think the conversations would be a little different if we're in August or September." Ohtani has not played catch in six days and has not pitched in a game since July 3. Ohtani threw a season-high 110 pitches that night, then exited after irritating his right biceps on a swing. The biceps issue seemingly resolved itself shortly thereafter, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said it flared up again -- along with his left knee -- while throwing off the mound July 22. There's still no telling when Ohtani will get off a mound again. "There is an effect on the lower half to the compromising of the upper half, the arm, and so trying to mitigate that, we stopped the throwing, stopped the bullpens," Roberts said. "Hopefully, No. 1, take care of the knee, and then not try to have him create velocity with the arm that's not 100%. So that's kind of where we're at. If we look at him, and his value to our ballclub, we need him in the lineup. The swing, the running of the bases -- the knee, the arm doesn't compromise that." Snell, who has made one start all year, is scheduled for what could be his final rehab start Wednesday. Tyler Glasnow, out with back spasms since early May, will face hitters at Dodger Stadium that same day, which could be his final step before going out on a rehab assignment of his own. Snell and Glasnow are expected back next month, joining a rotation headlined by Yoshinobu Yamamoto and featuring Justin Wrobleski, Roki Sasaki and Emmet Sheehan. And because he doesn't count as one of the team's 13 allotted pitchers, Ohtani could return to the rotation before he is fully stretched out, opening games like he did while returning from elbow surgery last season. But his status remains up in the air, further complicated by his other responsibilities. "The knee is getting better and the goal is to get to the 100% mark," Ohtani said. "But I do have to focus on the hitting side, the position-player side of things. That's what I have to kind of deal with." Dodgers officials have privately downplayed their interest in acquiring two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal, if the Detroit Tigers ultimately make him available. But rival executives continue to view them as favorites to land him, pointing to their deep farm system, their desire to win a third straight championship and the injury questions in their rotation as Monday's trade deadline approaches. Ohtani represents the biggest of them all. Asked about the possibility of Ohtani not pitching in the playoffs, Roberts said: "Everything that I've heard, that's not the option." "I guess anything's possible," Roberts added, "but for me, it's highly unlikely. We're doing all this, No. 1, to make sure that he's in a good spot healthwise. But given where we're at in the calendar, if the knee continued to get better, the arm continues to feel better, I would expect him to pitch. But again, this is something probably more for Shohei or the training staff to try to answer. All I know is that we're trying to, I'm trying to, give him the best opportunity to be as healthy as possible so he can help us on both ends of the baseball."