It started in the clubhouse, during those long, humid afternoons in Anaheim, where Shohei Ohtani would quietly juggle two full-time jobs with the calm of a seasoned veteran. One minute, he’d vanish into the trainer’s room, tending to his throwing arm. The next, he’d be in the cage, launching balls into orbit with the same ease he showed on the mound. For those lucky enough to witness it every day, it wasn’t just impressive, it was unheard of.
Justin Upton was one of them. A veteran outfielder and four-time All-Star, Upton had seen plenty in his career. But even he found himself doing double-takes. Sharing a dugout with Ohtani from 2018 to 2021, Upton wasn’t just a teammate; he was a front-row observer to history being written. And now, as fans and pundits debate whether Shohei Ohtani will pitch again after undergoing a second major elbow surgery, Upton has stepped in to set the record straight.
“You can’t really appreciate Shohei unless you see it every day,” Upton said on the Diggin’ Deep podcast. “His routine is insane. When he’s doing both, when he’s not hurt pitching, his day is crazy. And for him to be able to shoulder that load and be the best player in baseball… I don’t think we’ll ever see it in our lifetime again.”
He laid it out like a checklist: shoulder work, bullpen session, weight room grind, batting cage hacks, and then four quality at-bats under the lights. “It’s a full day, every day. And he does it perfectly,” Upton added. “He performs at the highest of the highest levels every night.”
That kind of behind-the-scenes testimony isn’t just nostalgia. It’s a subtle challenge to the skepticism surrounding Shohei Ohtani’s eventual pitching return. The Dodgers star may be sidelined from the mound until 2026, but if anyone understands the work ethic and discipline that Ohtani brings, it’s Upton.
Then came the jaw-dropper: Ohtani wasn’t just training hard, he was hitting 114-mph foam balls off a red machine that most players couldn’t even square up. “It’s wild,” Upton said. “To hit a foam ball that hard… it was insane watching that. The training has evolved, and Shohei’s on another level.”
While the baseball world anxiously watches and speculates, Upton isn’t biting on uncertainty. His message is loud and clear: if there’s one player who can beat the odds, it’s Shohei Ohtani. And if you’ve ever seen him work up close, you wouldn’t bet against him either.
Shohei Ohtani’s comeback trail heats up: Dodgers hint at pre-break return
Shohei Ohtani’s journey back to the mound just took a sharp, promising turn, and it came with a curious phrase from Dodgers manager Dave Roberts: there’s a “north of zero” chance he pitches before the All-Star break. It wasn’t a firm promise, but it was enough to light a spark. For fans hanging onto every update post–Tommy John surgery, that subtle hint means one thing: Ohtani’s ahead of schedule, and the Dodgers are starting to feel it.
This week marked another major checkpoint. In his third simulated outing, Ohtani threw 44 pitches over three innings and struck out six batters, a crisp, dominant display that included fastballs clocking in the mid-90s. The Dodgers aren’t rushing him, but they’re watching closely. “We’re not gonna put a date on it, but he’s getting closer every time he gets on the mound,” Roberts admitted. Pitching coach Mark Prior added to the optimism, saying once Ohtani hits 60–70 pitches, game action “could become a reality.”
And with the Dodgers rotation in disarray, Buehler, May, and Yamamoto all shelved, Shohei Ohtani’s timeline suddenly matters even more. The rotation’s paper-thin, the bullpen’s overworked, and Los Angeles needs a jolt. While he’s already mashing at the plate, batting north of .290 with 20 homers, his arm could be the boost that reshapes the second half.
Roberts didn’t guarantee a return before the break, but reading between the lines, the countdown has unofficially begun.
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