LOS ANGELES -- Shohei Ohtani resumed his buildup on the mound, throwing his first bullpen session since Feb. 25 ahead of Saturday's series finale against the Tigers.

While Ohtani had been throwing off the mound throughout Spring Training, he paused his progression as a pitcher to focus on ramping up as a hitter leading into the regular season. The Dodgers' superstar still kept his arm active despite the layoff, throwing on flat ground with what looked to be a moderate level of intensity.

"I wanted to prioritize the hitting aspect as we're getting into the season, to get a little breather mentally and physically on the pitching side of things," Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton in a press conference ahead of the season-opening Tokyo Series. "This is according to plan, and I'm quite actually pleased with how things have been going."

Ohtani is coming off his second major right elbow surgery in September 2023, as well as left shoulder surgery last November that delayed his offseason work.

He threw around 20 pitches on Saturday, which may be a rough indication of where he is in this stage of his buildup. For reference, Ohtani threw 14 pitches in his first bullpen session of Spring Training.

Before the pause in Ohtani's pitching progression, manager Dave Roberts had tabbed sometime in May for his return as a pitcher, but the Dodgers' skipper has not laid out an updated timeline since then.

"I think you start with the natural progression of a bullpen [session]," Roberts said. "You’ve got to kind of mix in different pitches to then face hitters again. It’s a start. I don’t have a timeline; I don’t think anyone does. We’re a ways away."

Ohtani's return to throwing off the mound -- and how he feels afterward -- will help inform the team how to proceed. There will likely be a more clear idea of when Ohtani can reasonably pitch in a Major League game once he faces live hitters and simulates multiple innings, Roberts said.

As the team has repeatedly expressed, the Dodgers' need for Ohtani to be in the rotation at this moment in time is not pressing. The priority is keeping Ohtani on the field and making sure that he'll be at his best as both a hitter and a pitcher when the games matter most: down the stretch and in the postseason.

"His health is paramount, most important," Roberts said. "So whenever that time is and his buildup reaches its full maturation, he’ll pitch for us."