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By Aaliyan Mohammed
Contributing Sports Writer
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Shohei Ohtani threw 80 pitches in his last start, which is the most he has thrown in a game since his return to the mound. He went 4 1/3 innings, but allowed four earned runs.
While the results were not great, Ohtani's build-up continues to go well. Ohtani was hit by a line drive and was pinch-hit for later in the game, but reportedly will not miss time.
With Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Clayton Kershaw and Ohtani, the Dodgers have one of the best rotations in baseball. However, pitching coach Mark Prior was recently asked about whether Ohtani could come out of the bullpen.
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"Absolutely," Prior said on "The Dan Patrick Show."
Prior continued by saying that the rules would make it difficult, but that he can "see it" happening. Right now, the rules dictate that if Ohtani starts a game, he can be pulled as a pitcher and remain as the designated hitter.
However, if Ohtani were to be lifted from the game as a reliever, then he would also have to be lifted as a hitter or the team would lose the DH. Manager Dave Roberts also mentioned that there had been discussions about Ohtani pitching in relief, per The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya.
Rōki Sasaki is working his way back, and the Dodgers may explore using Ohtani as a backend reliever to get Sasaki back in the rotation. However, with how the "Ohtani Rule" is worded, he would likely have to come in as a closer, recording the final outs, so the Dodgers have his bat when they need it.
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