The Los Angeles Dodgers, with less than two weeks remaining in the regular season, are without Shohei Ohtani. The superstar was placed on the 15-day injured list on Sept. 11 with lingering left knee and right biceps injuries.
A 15-day injured list is required. A 10-day stint isn’t available to two-way players, according to MLB.com’s Sonja Chen.
In a corresponding move, the Dodgers promoted their top prospect, Josue De Paula, from Double-A Tulsa. He played with Los Angeles over their weekend series against the Miami Marlins.
As for Ohtani, the knee and biceps injuries have lingered throughout the second half of the regular season. Los Angeles will give their superstar a break from the workload for the majority of the Dodgers’ remaining games of the regular season.
However, Shohei Ohtani’s status for the postseason will not be in question, says manager Dave Roberts.
Dave Roberts Provides Shohei Ohtani Injury Intel
“I think if it were a postseason game tomorrow, he would be in the lineup,” Dave Roberts said, according to Dodger Blue’s Sebastian Abdon Ibarra. “I think that now you’re talking about two weeks, I feel that’s substantial and he’ll be in a much better place than he was today. Is he going to be 100%? Probably not. But I do think with this time that we’re taking now, he’ll be in an adequate spot to finish the season and beyond.”
The Dodgers have already announced that Shohei Ohtani will be shut down from pitching for the remainder of the 2026 season. The 32-year-old said he is “focusing on hitting for the rest of 2026,” The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya said.
Although pitching is off the table, Ohtani’s bat still provides immense value for Los Angeles in its quest for a third-straight World Series win.
This season, Ohtani is batting .277/.380/.522 with 30 home runs, 80 RBIs, and 11 stolen bases. His postseason production is also an issue for other teams. In 33 games in October, Ohtani hit .248/.390/.550 with 11 home runs, 24 RBIs, and one stolen base.
Dodgers Look to Clinch the NL West
Heading into the final 13 days of the regular season, the Dodgers are still a clinch away from the National League West. Los Angeles holds a nine-game lead over the San Diego Padres. A clinch of the division can be possible as early as Tuesday, according to NJ.com’s Randy Miller.
After losing their weekend series to the Miami Marlins, Los Angeles will travel to Cincinnati to take on the Reds in a four-game series.
Securing a top-two seed in the NL is still a very close race. The Dodgers hold a 2.5-game lead over the Atlanta Braves for the final first-round bye. Securing the top seed in the league is also possible. The Milwaukee Brewers are 3.5 games ahead of Los Angeles for the top spot.
Although injuries have hit the Dodgers, three of Los Angeles’ four regular-season series feature teams that are under .500 (the Cincinnati Reds and the San Francisco Giants twice).
Dodgers’ Dave Roberts Provides Telling Shohei Ohtani Injury News Ahead of Postseason