Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Aims for mound work in September

Ohtani (elbow) hopes to begin throwing off a mound by early September, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.

Ohtani's current throwing program as he comes back from right UCL surgery has him playing catch from 150 feet three days per week at 85 percent intensity. He will progress to four days per week and then five before being cleared to throw off the mound. As long as all of those stages go off without a hitch, the hope is Ohtani will be able to face hitters either via live batting practice or a simulated game by October. He would then be shut down for a while before eventually ramping things back up in the offseason. Ohtani is aiming to be a two-way player again in 2025.