Dave Roberts said Sunday that Shohei Ohtani will start Tuesday night against the Miami Marlins, moving up a day and taking the mound on five days of rest instead of his usual six or more. The Dodgers made the call after Tyler Glasnow threw 105 pitches over eight scoreless innings in San Francisco on Thursday, a workload that would have left him on just four days of rest if he had been asked to go again Tuesday.
Roberts said the club was not bound to follow the off-day pattern it often uses around Ohtani’s pitching starts and said the two-way star was on board with the change. Ohtani has made 18 regular-season pitching starts for the Dodgers over the past two years, and only two have come on five days' rest. This season, he has been sharp on the mound, allowing one earned run in 24 innings over four starts.
The move comes as the Dodgers try to manage a roster that is still juggling injuries and rehab work around the rotation. Blake Snell began a rehab assignment with Class-A Ontario on Wednesday, throwing 32 pitches while facing eight batters, and is expected to make his next start for Ontario again this week. River Ryan opened the season with Triple-A Oklahoma City, then landed on the injured list with a hamstring injury after two starts; general manager Brandon Gomes said the issue is not considered serious and that Ryan has resumed throwing. Gavin Stone, who had been on track to open the season in the rotation before a setback in his recovery from shoulder surgery, has also returned to bullpen sessions, with Gomes saying his velocity is tracking well.
The lineup picture changed on Sunday, too. Catcher Will Smith sat out for a second straight day with a sore back, and Roberts called the absence precautionary while saying there is no expectation Smith will need more extensive time off. Dalton Rushing made his ninth start behind the plate this season and entered the day hitting.400 with seven home runs, which made it easier for the club to keep Smith out again.
Ohtani’s date on the mound was pushed up just as his bat started to heat up. He entered Sunday hitting.240 with an.801 OPS, having gone two for 19 before breaking out with a 3 for 3 afternoon that included a double and his first home run since April 12. The Dodgers do not have a game Thursday, which gives them a little more room to manage the back end of the week, but Tuesday’s start will still be a small test of how far they are willing to stretch Ohtani’s routine when the schedule and the rotation both demand it.
