The two-way superstar faced hitters for the second time since elbow surgery, throwing 29 pitches at Dodger Stadium in a 25-minute session before the defending World Series champions played the New York Yankees. Ohtani threw 22 pitches in his first live batting practice last weekend in New York.

Shohei Ohtani checked off another step Saturday as he works toward making his pitching debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Ohtani, who hasn’t pitched in a regular-season game since Aug. 23, 2023, won’t pitch for the Dodgers until the second half at the earliest.

Ohtani throws 22 pitches in live BP session at Citi Field, reaching 97 mph in a significant step in his return from Tommy John revision surgery in September 2023.

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Working from the windup and smiling between batters, Ohtani deftly snagged a comebacker, struck out two hitters and walked his final one in a session that lasted about 10 minutes. Kim lined a ball into the right-field corner that likely would have gone for a double or triple.

Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani threw another bullpen session on Saturday, hours before Los Angeles hosted the New York Yankees for the second game of their weekend series, as he continues to work his way toward his first big-league pitching appearance since late 2023.

This weekend’s series is the Dodgers’ first at Citi Field since the NLCS, which Los Angeles won in six games. Ohtani went 4-for-11 with two home runs, four RBI, five walks and five runs in that playoff series’ three games in Queens.

Ohtani has not yet pitched in a game for the Dodgers since signing a 10-year, $700 million contract ahead of the 2024 season. Despite the lack of pitching, Ohtani still made his first year worth it as he hit .310/.390/.646 with 54 home runs and 130 RBIs and won the NL MVP award.

According to reports out of New York, Ohtani had a pair of strikeouts and a walk. Kim doubled and grounded back to the mound.