Dustin May Says Shohei Ohtani Return To Rotation Will Be 'Huge,' 'We Need A Boost'
Dodgers' Dustin May Shohei Ohtani's Pitching Return Will Be 'Huge' ... 'We Need A Boost!!!'
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Shohei Ohtani's inching closer to a return to the mound, and perhaps no one is more excited to see it than his teammate Dustin May, who tells TMZ Sports the Dodgers' pitching rotation could certainly use the "boost."
The Japanese superstar, of course, has stayed away from the gameday rubber for over a year after he required surgery back in 2023 to fix a UCL tear in his right elbow ... but May said this week Ohtani is almost all the way back.
The 27-year-old told us he's seen the two-way player "looking good" in bullpen sessions ... and added Shohei just recently started throwing his breaking pitches again.
"He's progressing nicely," May said.
According to Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts, Ohtani will toss live batting practice later Saturday -- and assuming that goes well, an insertion into the starting rotation shouldn't be too far off.
May said Ohtani's return "will be huge," explaining, "just being able to have him and a few guys be back in hopefully a short amount of time would be really great."
While he waits to get the green light, Ohtani can be entertained a bit by May both in the dugout and on the television -- as the red-headed right-hander is now the star of a hilarious new DirecTV ad, "Nothing On Your Roof."
As for whether he wants to further his new career on the small screen, check out our interview. If Hollywood agencies come calling, he would hear them out!
