The Los Angeles Dodgers have finally had to do the inevitable. Shohei Ohtani’s injuries have progressed to the point where he’ll need a break. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez after their series against the Cincinnati Reds that Ohtani is headed for the 15-day injured list.
“We’re going to IL Shohei,” said Roberts on SportsNet LA’s postgame coverage of their 14-1 win over the Reds. “Talking to Shohei, the doctors, the training staff, it’s the right thing to do.
“I think with Shohei, it’s more of let’s take the 15 days and get him reset, get him feeling better, and know that we still have a week of baseball games left. And then build him back up all the while during this 15-day stint, to get the best of him for the postseason.”
During the game against the Reds, Gonzalez reported that the Dodgers would promote their top prospect, Josue De Paula. That in itself set off more alarm bells for Ohtani’s status, as the club typically doesn’t promote prospects without a clear path to playing time on the team.
With that news circulating, it almost felt certain that Ohtani was headed for the injured list. The Dodgers will announce the two moves officially on September 11, when they start their East Coast road trip in Miami. That road trip starts with three against the Marlins.
Roberts confirmed that De Paula will be called up for his MLB debut on Friday.
Dodgers to Place Shohei Ohtani on the 15-Day IL After Reds Sweep
Since Shohei Ohtani is a two-way player, he is required to spend 15 days on the injured list instead of 10. Since he last played on September 7, the Dodgers can backdate his stint to September 8. Thus, the earliest he can return is September 23.
The Dodgers will miss his bat more than his arm. At the plate, he’d been slashing .277/.380/.522 with 30 home runs. Even with the issues concerning his pitching, he was still a key cog in their lineup.
Ohtani first developed a knee injury back in June. He attempted to play through it, but suffered a biceps injury while compensating for it as a pitcher. That shut him down from pitching and has negatively impacted his hitting. Over his last 11 games, he’s hitting just .119 with a .465 OPS.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the previous night that Ohtani would return to the lineup. More concerns arose when he wasn’t in their lineup in the Reds series finale. Then Roberts expressed a bit of regret for not addressing this injury situation a bit quicker, which was more or less the writing on the wall.
The Dodgers hope that the 15 days off can help give Ohtani enough rest to be ready for the postseason. There’s not much they can do about it until after the season is over; they’ll have to manage it. Roberts said that Ohtani would have played if it were the postseason.
Dodgers Right Now
The Dodgers are coming off a pretty convincing sweep of the Cincinnati Reds and are 89-57. Next up is a Miami Marlins team that has hovered near .500 for much of the season, managed by former Dodgers coach Clayton McCullough.
As a result, they’ve extended their lead for the National League’s No. 2 seed over the Atlanta Braves. Atlanta has lost three straight games, and four of their last six. They are now four games up on the Braves, with both teams having 16 games left to play.
Additionally, they’re still in play for the National League’s No. 1 seed. They are just one game back in the loss column of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers have the season head-to-head tiebreaker.
Los Angeles Dodgers Announce Unfortunate Shohei Ohtani Injury News After Reds Series