Can Shohei Ohtani overcome the pain of losing his pitching return and still give Los Angeles Dodgers a season to remember?

Shohei Ohtani is back with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but his return carries a different feeling than expected. After missing four games because of lingering soreness, the superstar returned Monday as the designated hitter against the Cincinnati Reds. The Los Angeles Dodgers won 6-3, but the bigger story came afterward. Ohtani is now preparing to focus on hitting, with his pitching comeback unlikely to continue this season.Shohei Ohtani returns to Los Angeles Dodgers lineup as his body forces a difficult change in plansOhtani stepped back into his familiar leadoff position after taking four days away from game action. The break came as he dealt with soreness in his left knee and right biceps, issues that had made his path back to the mound much harder.His return at the plate was not spectacular. He finished 0-for-3, struck out twice and drew one walk. But for the Los Angeles Dodgers, the most important thing was seeing Ohtani back on the field and making sure he felt healthy enough to continue.“It was certainly good to get him back out there, but there was certainly nothing to kind of write home about,” Roberts said. “To take four days off, to come out of it feeling good, I think that’s a win in itself.”That reaction says a lot about where Ohtani stands right now.The Los Angeles Dodgers are no longer treating his pitching comeback as something that needs to happen at all costs. His health has become the bigger priority, especially with the regular season moving toward its final weeks.Ohtani has not pitched since July 3. He also has not thrown since a bullpen session in Detroit on Aug. 28. With so little time left in the season, trying to rebuild his pitching workload would carry obvious risks.For Ohtani, the decision is difficult because pitching has been such an important part of his return story.Still, he understands what could happen if he pushes too hard.“I’ll be focusing on hitting,” Ohtani said through a translator after the game. “I’m confident that my overall performance should be better moving forward. The thing that I was more focused on was to make sure that the pitching wouldn’t cause the worse scenario, which was for me to not be able to play at all.”That last part may be the most important.There is little value in getting Ohtani back on the mound if doing so puts his ability to play at risk. The Los Angeles Dodgers need his bat, his speed and his presence in the lineup as they prepare for the postseason.Shohei Ohtani still has time to turn his disappointment into something meaningful for Los Angeles DodgersThe setback hurts because Ohtani had already shown how effective he could be as a pitcher this season.After returning from elbow surgery, he worked his way back into a regular pitching role and produced strong numbers. In 14 starts, Ohtani went 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA, showing that his pitching ability was still very much part of his game.That makes the current situation even more frustrating.Ohtani has spent years embracing the challenge of being both a hitter and a pitcher. Watching one side of that role disappear for the rest of the season is understandably disappointing.“But I want to make sure that when I look back this season that I use this as a learning experience and use that as something to improve upon for next season,” he said.That outlook could shape the rest of his year.Instead of allowing the disappointment to take over, Ohtani can now concentrate on getting his swing back, staying healthy and helping the Los Angeles Dodgers win. His offensive numbers remain impressive, with 30 home runs and 80 RBIs, even though his recent form has not been as strong as he would like.The Los Angeles Dodgers have also given him some breathing room.Los Angeles won all four games during Ohtani’s absence, including a sweep of the Washington Nationals. The team then welcomed him back with another victory against Cincinnati.That does not mean Ohtani is no longer essential. It simply shows that the Los Angeles Dodgers have enough depth to protect their biggest star instead of rushing him into an uncomfortable situation.The postseason will bring much bigger pressure, and Ohtani could still play a major role without throwing a single pitch.For now, his path is much clearer. He needs to recover, find his rhythm at the plate and make the most of the games still ahead.His pitching comeback may have reached an unexpected pause, but Ohtani’s season does not have to end on that disappointment. If he can return to his best form as a hitter, he could still help give the Los Angeles Dodgers the October run they want.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.