Dodgers Injury Update: Shohei Ohtani, Bobby Miller, Evan Phillips, Freddie Freeman

The Dodgers have given fans a lot to look forward to this season, but Shohei Ohtani's return to two-way player status might eclipse everything else. We got a full year of DH-only Ohtani, who managed to become the first pure DH to win an MVP award and inaugurate the 54/54 club, but this year we're going to be able to see him at the height of his powers.

Ohtani isn't expected to get back onto the mound in live games until May, but he's still working through his throwing progression at spring training. Over the weekend, he threw a 25-pitch bullpen session that mixed in three pitches and saw his fastball velocity reach 95 MPH.

On Sunday, he also faced live pitching for the first time since undergoing a shoulder surgery in November. He saw 32 pitches from minor leaguer Nicolas Cruz and swung 18 times. Dave Roberts said of the BP, "He got a lot of swings off. He said he felt good afterward. He hit a couple of balls hard, which is good to see. I’m excited that he got to face some pitchers."

We'll see Ohtani's Cactus League debut as a DH sometime later this week, Roberts added.

Dodgers Injury Updates: Shohei Ohtani facing live hitters, Bobby Miller throwing again, Evan Phillips bullpen, Freddie Freeman running

Bobby Miller started playing catch again on Monday, after taking a 106 MPH comebacker to the head in the Dodgers' spring opener. He was able to walk off the field himself, later tweeted that he was okay, and was lucky to avoid any fractures, but he's still in concussion protocol and a timeline to return is unclear.

Evan Phillips, who is dealing with some leftover pain from a torn rotator cuff sustained last season, threw his first bullpen session of the spring on Feb. 21. He, along with Michael Kopech, might start the season on the IL, which could create some interesting competition in the bullpen for a few interim arms.

Freddie Freeman has also made progress on his return from a "procedure consisting of debridement and the removal of loose bodies" from his ankle (which still sounds super gross) last year. He's already taken a couple of swings in camp, but he started running again on Feb. 20 and still expects to be ready by Opening Day in Tokyo.