Major League Baseball star Ohtani Shohei has practiced in the bullpen, throwing 25 pitches — the most since he underwent elbow surgery a year ago.
Ohtani is serving as a designated hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers this season. He has also been practicing pitching as he aims to return as a two-way player.
Ohtani’s rehabilitation began after he underwent a second surgery to repair a ligament in his right elbow in September last year.
He resumed playing catch in March this year, then gradually increased the distance and started pitching practice in the bullpen in August.
On Saturday, Ohtani practiced pitching in the bullpen for the first time in 4 days, before a game against the Braves in Atlanta. It was his sixth bullpen practice since the surgery.
After throwing and catching about 60 balls in the field, he threw 25 pitches including breaking balls in the bullpen.
He sometimes checked data on the pitches and appeared to be happy about the results after making a powerful pitch to complete the session.
The team said his fastballs reached speeds of up to 149.6 kilometers per hour.
Ohtani is expected to begin practice of pitching against batters during the season as the next step in his rehabilitation.