The Dodgers are lining up a major boost for their series against the Padres, with Shohei Ohtani, Andy Pages and Roki Sasaki all expected back from the injured list this week, according to manager Dave Roberts.
Pages appears closest to getting there first, with a return targeted before Tuesday’s opener. Sasaki is slated to pitch in one of the three games. Ohtani, who is eligible to come back on Wednesday, may not be locked in for that exact day just yet.
Ohtani did take a noticeable step forward over the weekend, running the bases and taking swings off the Trajekt machine. The Dodgers have been expecting him to return before the regular season ends, though how many at-bats he gets before October is still up in the air.
Roberts said he’s hopeful Ohtani is back Wednesday, when he first becomes eligible. If that doesn’t happen, Thursday is still in play.
Pages has been out since Aug. 21, when a 100.2 mph fastball from Pirates starter Bubba Chandler fractured his hand. He had surgery a few days later and has spent the weeks since working his way back. The original estimate put his recovery at four to five weeks, and he’s now in that window.
It’s been a breakout year for Pages. He made his first All-Star team and has been one of the league’s most valuable center fielders on both sides of the ball.
At the plate, he’s hitting .272 with 21 homers, 80 RBIs and a .797 OPS. In the field, he sits in the 94th percentile in Outs Above Average at plus-8.
The timing matters here: Pages could have up to six regular-season games to get back into rhythm before the postseason begins. He won’t go on a rehab assignment, so those games are his tune-up.
Still, the Dodgers aren’t eager to overdo it.
"Assuming he gets back on Tuesday then that's six in a row and that seems pretty aggressive," Roberts said. "We do want to get him as many at-bats as possible, but we have to make sure that his legs are under him, feeling good, so we don't go backwards or get injured in that respect."
Sasaki has been sidelined since late August with a blister on his hand. There was some thought he might return last week against the Reds, but the club backed off because of the humidity and didn’t want him to risk setting himself back.
Now, his return will come against San Diego, though the exact day is still undecided. Roberts said Sasaki will work as a reliever to prepare for his postseason role.
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