ATLANTA — The idea of ​​Shohei Ohtani making the playoffs suddenly isn’t impossible anymore, even if it still seems unlikely.

Speaking Friday, just over an hour after starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow suffered another setback in his recovery from elbow tendinitis, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts left open the possibility that Ohtani could be an option on the mound in October, saying the chance is “not 0 percent.”

Ohtani, who underwent a second repair of his right ulnar collateral ligament 12 months ago, has been throwing semi-regular bullpen sessions and could progress to facing batters before the end of September. The more likely plan was for Ohtani to pause his throwing program in October and then restart it relatively early in the offseason to prepare for his return as a two-way player in 2025.

In another scenario, Ohtani could continue pitching and could be an option for the Dodgers in the later rounds of the postseason if they can succeed.

“Anything is possible,” said Roberts, who joined Dodgers front office officials in quashing the idea when it was discussed earlier this season. “This is something that’s a long-term strategy. We’ve got a lot of work to do to get through October and October. I hope he’s thinking about that, as far as motivation for his rehab. The chances of that happening are very slim, but they’re not zero.”

The consideration — and the shift in their thinking, however small — speaks volumes about the uncertainty of the Dodgers’ rotation. Yoshinobu Yamamoto recently pitched in a major league game for the first time in about three months, retiring eight Chicago Cubs batters in four innings. While the outing was encouraging, the Dodgers still have plenty of questions beyond Jack Flaherty.

The biggest uncertainty, again, surrounds Glasnow, who has been out since Aug. 11 and appears headed for a return. Glasnow pitched in the Truist Park bullpen to prepare for a two- to three-inning simulated game in what was expected to be his final move before returning to the rotation.

It started well, Roberts said, but as Glasnow neared his 25th throw, he again felt discomfort around his right elbow, forcing him to abandon the session.

The Dodgers aren’t sure what they’ll do next, but Roberts admitted the time until the playoffs is running out.

“It’s obviously a setback,” Roberts said. “I don’t know what that means for the next couple of days. I just know we’re just going to kind of reassess and see how he feels over the next couple of days and when we can get back to throwing.”

Joining Glasnow on the IL are Clayton Kershaw and Gavin Stone, both of whom are pushing to return but also running out of time. Kershaw has been diagnosed with a bone spur in his left big toe that causes pain every time he steps off the rubber, and he has yet to throw from a traditional mound. Stone, who was arguably the Dodgers’ best starter this year, was sidelined Sept. 6 with shoulder inflammation and has yet to resume his throwing program.

That brings the Dodgers to Ohtani, who famously came out of the bullpen to close out the championship game for Team Japan at last year’s World Baseball Classic by striking out then-teammate Mike Trout. Roberts said he hasn’t talked to Ohtani about the possibility of pitching in the playoffs, but that could happen soon.

If Ohtani is open to the idea, it could be tough for the Dodgers to resist the temptation to use him.

“We all have to be very confident that the buildup, the stress of the pitches, that he can handle the cost-benefit of the fact that he could do something like that,” Roberts said. “We all have to be in lockstep, and it has to make perfect sense. Right now, for me, it’s just keeping his mind focused on hitting, and going through his rehab process. If that situation arises in the future — and again, that’s a long way off — then we can have that conversation.”