The two-time defending champion Dodgers are gearing up for a threepeat and hope to have a fully functional Shohei Ohtani in time for the start of the postseason. Sure enough, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said on Tuesday that the expectation is Ohtani will be back in the lineup on Wednesday after a stint on the injured list. "Unless I hear otherwise, he'll be in the lineup tomorrow," Roberts said (ESPN).
Ohtani has been on the injured list since Sept. 11 (backdated to Sept. 8) due to right biceps inflammation. Keep in mind that he was removed from the starting rotation two months prior due to a knee injury, so he's been dealing with multiple injuries in the second half of the season. The Dodgers have shut Ohtani down from pitching for the remainder of 2026, but his bat in the designated hitter spot is a huge plus for them.
Of course, the effects of Ohtani's injuries could be seen in the weeks leading up to his IL stint. In his last 13 games, the four-time MVP hit .122/.295/.184 with zero home runs and 21 strikeouts. On the season, Ohtani is hitting .277/.380/.522 (146 OPS+) with 25 doubles, four triples, 30 home runs, 80 RBI, 89 runs and 11 stolen bases.
Roberts had noted earlier this month that Ohtani's injury was minor enough that if this were the playoffs, he'd be playing through it. They shut him down in an attempt to get him as close to 100 percent as possible for the playoffs. "If he was a 5 before, he's probably an 8 or 9 now," Roberts said (via the California Post), while explaining that Ohtani is feeling "considerably better." Assuming the return on Wednesday comes to fruition, Ohtani will have five games to get himself back up to game speed, essentially serving as a rehab assignment.
Even better, the Dodgers are very likely to have a bye after that, so Ohtani would then have a few days to recover. The Dodgers have gone 9-3 since Ohtani last played, though they haven't faced a team with a winning record. They'll do so Tuesday night against the Padres.
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