Dave Roberts said on July 21, 2026, that Shohei Ohtani's bullpen session marked a big sign in his recovery from a knee issue that has affected his pitching.
"It's a big sign because I think that the grass, the flat ground, all that stuff is well and good," Roberts said during a press conference. Ohtani threw a bullpen session of about 30 pitches, according to Roberts, and his bullpen sessions typically sit around 88 mph in velocity.
Roberts noted the knee issue has likely affected Ohtani's pitching performance in recent starts because of compensating in his delivery. "I think anytime you're trying to change your delivery, compensate with the delivery, I think that kind of bleeds into just performance," he explained. Roberts confirmed Ohtani will not start on the upcoming road trip, and he said he does not foresee Ohtani throwing 100 pitches in his first outing back, given the pitch count equity he had built up.
Roberts added that the team trusts Ohtani's own sense of his body and readiness rather than forcing or pushing him. "You don't know more than the player and so he knows his body so well. So if he feels he's ready to get off the mound, then we support it," he said. He also mentioned that Ohtani reported feeling the benefits of an injection he received the previous week, feeling good in running and throwing. According to Roberts, Ohtani drove the decision to throw the bullpen session himself.
Roberts also laid out Edwin Diaz's throwing schedule, which includes back-to-back appearances followed by rest days and a final rehab outing for the OKC team. "He'll go today, tomorrow, he'll be down for two days and then I think as I sit here today, then he's going to throw one last day for that OKC team," Roberts said. He expressed confidence that Diaz's early-season issue was isolated to his elbow, stating, "We feel very confident right now if he continues to trend the way he has, the back-to-back would check a box." Roberts noted he would get a debrief from Mark once he finished with reporters.