Shohei Ohtani left the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ 4-3 win against the San Diego Padres. Miguel Rojas batted for Ohtani in the seventh inning and finished the game as the designated hitter.
Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports that Ohtani left the game after feeling something in his right biceps. The two-way star clarified he only feels it when swinging the bat, and it was an issue he dealt with earlier in the season that went away. He left the game as a precautionary measure.
Ohtani said he felt this two months ago, and it went away rather quickly that time.
Considering how valuable Ohtani is to both the lineup and starting rotation, any sort of arm injury is going to ring alarm bells for the Dodgers. The last thing the club needs is another starting pitcher to go down with an injury.
Ohtani threw six innings, allowing three runs. He threw a career-high 110 pitches to notch his quality start. However, his start was long over before the Dodgers pulled him from the game.
Shohei Ohtani to Get Rest Day During Padres Series
Any sort of arm injury is going to be concerning for a pitcher. However, Shohei Ohtani was available after the game to discuss the injury with the media.
Ohtani told Jack Harris of the California Post that he plans to start the next game, but he’ll leave that decision up to the club.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, however, is not taking any chances with his star player’s health. Roberts announced that Ohtani will not be in the lineup in their game, but isn’t concerned about the severity of the injury.
“It was precautionary, just kind of tightened on him on the bicep,” Roberts told Dodgers sideline reporter Kirsten Watson on SportsNet LA’s postgame coverage. “He’s not going to DH tomorrow, so we’ll give him a day to fully recover.”
Roberts doesn’t believe the biceps injury will be too problematic, calling Ohtani a “quick healer” and that he’s dealt with it before. He noted how much the extra toll of being a two-way player has on the body.
The Dodgers will face right-hander Griffin Canning, which likely means that infielder Alex Freeland will take his place in the lineup. The club could give one of their veterans a start at DH.
Instead, it appears that Ohtani’s return to the lineup will be the Padres series finale at the earliest. As for his next start as a pitcher, that is scheduled for July 10 in Arizona. But it is worth noting that Ohtani was pushed back in the last turn through the rotation.
Dodgers Face Challenge of Managing Shohei Ohtani’s Two-Way Play
The Dodgers have made plenty of accommodations to maximize Shohei Ohtani’s impact. The first is by adopting a six-man rotation once he was fully healthy as a pitcher.
That gives Ohtani an extra rest day between starts. This can be beneficial since he has had two surgeries to address his UCL since moving over to MLB. It also reduces the wear and tear for him as a hitter as well.
Ardaya notes the amount of use that Ohtani has had this season. He’s faced 340 hitters as a pitcher while taking 377 plate appearances.
This isn’t necessarily uncharted territory for Ohtani. He had 666 plate appearances as a hitter with 660 hitters faced as a pitcher in 2022.
However, that was four years ago, and Ohtani was in his Age 27 season. He’s 31 and might not recover as quickly as he used to.
With minor injuries such as the biceps and knee coming up, the Dodgers have to be cognizant of his workload. Manager Dave Roberts acknowledged as such after the game.
The Dodgers have to ensure their best player remains healthy for as long as possible and able to make an impact in the postseason. But this will be the first year where they have to handle Ohtani as both a pitcher and hitter.
Dodgers Get Good Injury News on Shohei Ohtani Following Early Exit in Padres Win