Shohei Ohtani is expected to throw his first bullpen session this weekend as he returns from the elbow injury that prevented him from pitching in his first year with the Los Angeles Dodgers last season.

Ohtani says he will throw his first traditional bullpen session this weekend, at which point he will begin the process of preparing to join the Dodgers’ rotation, likely in May.

The Dodgers are hopeful that the real challenge for Shohei Ohtani this year won’t be about his health, but rather his process of re-acclimating to the two-way role that made him a superstar.