Shohei Ohtani’s pitching comeback hits a knee-shaped snag
Dave Roberts said Ohtani will miss his planned Wednesday start against the Phillies because of irritation in his left knee.
By Deshawn Carter · Sports Writer
3 min read
Shohei Ohtani’s return to the Dodgers mound is on hold again.
Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said Sunday in New York that Ohtani will not make his scheduled pitching start Wednesday against the Philadelphia Phillies because of irritation in his left knee, according to ESPN.
The plan had been for Ohtani to pitch in Philadelphia after more than two weeks away from the mound. Roberts had said Friday that Wednesday was the target date, ESPN reported.
That changed after Ohtani told Dodgers trainers his knee was not improving the way he expected before his regular bullpen session, according to Roberts.
Roberts said the Dodgers do not yet know whether Ohtani’s start will be delayed by a few days or wiped from the schedule entirely. He said he still expects Ohtani to pitch again this season.
“Kind of where we’re at, right now, how we’re proceeding, I would say that it’s going to be some time,” Roberts said Sunday before the Dodgers’ doubleheader against the New York Yankees, according to ESPN. “And I say that it’s not going to be a day-to-day thing.”
Dodgers slow it down
Ohtani last pitched July 3 against the San Diego Padres, giving up three runs across six innings, ESPN reported. He was then scratched from his following start, though he stayed active as the Dodgers’ designated hitter.
ESPN reported that Ohtani received a lubricant injection in the knee on July 12, the Sunday before the All-Star break, and did not go to Philadelphia for the All-Star Game.
Roberts said the team is taking the cautious route with its two-way star.
“I just think for us, it’s more, like what we’ve done many times over, erring on the side of caution,” Roberts said, according to ESPN.
The pitching-plan shuffle changed the Dodgers’ rotation around the Yankees doubleheader. ESPN reported that Emmet Sheehan’s scheduled start was pushed back one day to Monday.
The Dodgers were expected to use a bullpen game in Sunday’s second game after Yoshinobu Yamamoto started the opener against Yankees right-hander Cam Schlittler. ESPN described that opener as a matchup between two All-Star right-handers.
Bat still in play
Ohtani was set to serve as designated hitter in the first game Sunday, Roberts said. The Dodgers had not yet decided whether he would also be in the lineup for Game 2.
Roberts said the club has not discussed sitting Ohtani for several days because the knee trouble is tied only to pitching.
“He did this pitching,” Roberts said, according to ESPN. “When he does swing the bat, it’s the back knee versus the land knee where you’re kind of driving off of it to create torque when you pitch.”
Roberts added that the Dodgers do not see a reason to stop Ohtani from hitting because he has no sensation in the knee while swinging, ESPN reported.
ESPN described Ohtani as a four-time MVP and the three-time defending National League MVP, and reported that he is the strong favorite for another award. In his first full season pitching since 2023, Ohtani has a 1.79 ERA over 85⅔ innings in 14 starts, according to ESPN.
At the plate, ESPN listed Ohtani at .289 with 22 home runs, a .942 OPS and a 154 wRC+, ranking third in the National League in OPS.
This story draws on original reporting from ESPN.com.