With just a few weeks left to go in the regular season, the Los Angeles Dodgers have placed two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani on the injured list.
After delaying the move for over a week, the Dodgers finally decided to shelf the slugger. Ohtani has been dealing with ongoing knee and bicep injuries, keeping him from his two-way abilities for months.
The last time that Ohtani took the mound was July 3, showing real concern around his injuries. Ohtani isn’t likely to pitch againt his season, with the slugger saying that he will now focus solely on hitting the rest of the way.
But given where the calendar is, many have wondered if the Dodgers should have placed Ohtani on the IL sooner. And now, manager Dave Roberts has admitted to this.
Dave Roberts Admits Fault With Shohei Ohtani IL Stint
Prior to the team’s road trip, Roberts discussed the injuries to Ohtani. The longtime manager wishes he had placed the star on the injured list sooner.
“I think if we look right now, here today, I would love to go back and put him on the IL,” Roberts said. “But I did feel at that moment in time, we all felt that giving him four days was sufficient. He was agreeable. Getting him out there on Monday with the hope that he would be able to play tonight. But where we’re at right now, sure.”
Ohtani was in and out of the lineup for the team’s games in September, leading to all sorts of questions. Finally, Los Angeles decided to make the move, even if it took longer than expected.
The Dodgers will now have to manage without Ohtani for the coming weeks, hoping to keep their place in the National League playoff standings. But the team has been playing without Ohtani over the last few games, so it shouldn’t be much different.
However, Ohtani won’t be able to return until right before the postseason, raising more concern about his injury. Thankfully, the Dodgers made the move now, as they try to set themselves up for Ohtani to get back in time for the playoffs.
Shohei Ohtani Opens Up on Injury
Amid all the issues with the Dodgers waiting to place Ohtani on the IL, Ohtani discussed the injury and the remainder of the season.
“I want to make sure that when I look back this season, that I used this as an experience, a learning experience and make sure that I use that as something to improve upon for next season,” Ohtani said. “I think the thing that I was more focused on was making sure that the pitching wouldn’t cause the worse scenario, which was for me to not be able to play at all.”
The slugger wants to get back on the field as soon as possible, but his timeline for return remains to be seen. The Dodgers will do what they can without him in the lineup, hoping to position themselves as strongly as possible for the playoffs.
Dodgers Manager Says Quiet Part Outloud Amid Shohei Ohtani IL News