The Los Angeles Dodgers were hoping to get Shohei Ohtani back to pitching this weekend. Manager Dave Roberts told reporters, including ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez, that Ohtani will not start the series finale against the Detroit Tigers.
This comes on the heels of the unfortunate news concerning his bullpen session on August 28. Roberts told Gonzalez that the unique nature of Ohtani’s two-way viability did not lead to this decision.
“If any pitcher was feeling like this, we wouldn’t run him out there,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
The Dodgers haven’t decided to shut him down as a pitcher. They’re going to see how he feels when he gets back to LA.
Instead, right-hander Tyler Glasnow will start against the Tigers. He would have pitched anyway, as Ohtani would have been deployed as a one-inning opener.
The Dodgers face a tougher decision on whether to let him pitch again this season. The two-way star is battling knee and biceps injuries, which have kept him off a mound since July 3.
The club will have to decide which route puts them in a better position to win in October.
What’s Next for the Dodgers and Shohei Ohtani?
The first thing the Dodgers have to consider is how they can keep Shohei Ohtani’s bat in the lineup. The club has taken different measures to try to manage his unique workload, including a six-man rotation.
With their deep pitching staff nearing full strength, Ohtani is more irreplaceable as a hitter than a starting pitcher right now. They just got back Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell from injuries this month, so their rotation is in relatively good shape in the final four weeks of the 2026 season.
Because of that, the Dodgers are afforded the option of sacrificing Ohtani’s viability as a pitcher to keep him in the lineup. He is their primary designated hitter and leadoff man in their regular lineup. That means he’s more likely to move the needle forward toward a third consecutive championship as a hitter than a pitcher.
The window for Ohtani to return to the mound is closing quickly. The Dodgers likely have a couple of weeks to decide whether he’ll pitch in the postseason at all.
Dodgers Rotation Situation Entering September
The Dodgers are currently running a rotation of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tarik Skubal, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and Eric Lauer.
Lauer assumed the fifth starter role after Roki Sasaki left his start against the Atlanta Braves on August 25 and was placed on the injured list a day later.
Sasaki is eligible to return from the injured list on September 11. The question will be as a starter vs. a reliever, since he won’t be in their postseason rotation. That will come down to how well his right middle finger heals, since the blister on that finger ripped off and led to his exit.
If Ohtani doesn’t return to the starting rotation, the club can revert to a five-man unit for the rest of the season. They can turn to Yamamoto, Skubal, Snell, and Glasnow for the postseason, and just let Ohtani help them win by swinging the bat.
Dodgers Make Shohei Ohtani Announcement During Tigers Series