Nagging knee and biceps injuries have kept Shohei Ohtani off the mound since July 3. Now they might keep him out of the batter's box. Following Wednesday night's loss to the Cardinals (STL 8, LA 6 in 10 innings), Dodgers manager Dave Roberts acknowledged Ohtani is not 100% physically, and he may get some time off.
An injured list stint could be in the cards. Or I mean, shoot, even 10 days? Is that going to help get him to be 100%?
Don't know the answer," Roberts said (via MLB.com). "But I think where we're at, I think he's just going to have to find a way to make do, and do the best he can. Kind of try to get some strength back.
Get him feeling better, and then run him out there." Ohtani went 0 for 4 with four strikeouts Wednesday night, and shook out his right arm and winced following his fourth at-bat. He is 2 for 32 (.087) with 11 strikeouts in his last six games and Roberts admitted, "I think that (Wednesday) was kind of the tip of the iceberg. But I've seen it over the last couple weeks, where he hasn't been who he is." The hope was Ohtani would return to the mound this past Sunday, but, after throwing a bullpen session last Friday, he was unable to go.
It seems the right biceps issue is still bothering him, and Ohtani is receiving regular treatment on his left knee, which is his front (landing) leg when pitching. Things that are keeping him off the mound are bothering him at the plate, too. Ohtani's second half has not quite looked like his dominant first half in 2026.
The Dodgers have only two scheduled off-days the rest of the season: Thursday, Sept. 10, and Monday, Sept. 21. They're safely atop the NL West and in postseason position, but they are battling for a top-two seed and a Wild Card Series bye. Here are the top of the National League standings: Los Angeles won the World Series without a Wild Card Series bye last season, but that's no reason to dismiss it this year.
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