Dodgers Update on Shohei Ohtani’s Return

NEW YORK — The Dodgers anticipate that Shohei Ohtani will rejoin the starting lineup as designated hitter when the second half of the season kicks off on Friday night.

However, the team informed the media on Thursday that Ohtani won’t be playing during this weekend’s series against the Yankees, which isn’t surprising given the knee treatment he received over the All-Star break.

Instead, the Dodgers will feature Roki Sasaki at Yankee Stadium on Friday, Emmett Sheehan on Saturday, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Sunday.

If all goes as planned, Ohtani’s first start after the break could be delayed until at least next week’s series against the Phillies in Philadelphia. That could allow him to pitch on Wednesday, right before Thursday’s off day, but only if his knee condition permits a full return.

Ohtani sustained his injury during his last pitch before the break, with the team revealing that he had “continued inflammation in his left knee,” a recurring issue from last month.

Despite playing as a designated hitter until the final series before the All-Star break, he sat out the Midsummer Classic in Philadelphia due to treatments involving knee drainage and pain management injections.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts mentioned this week that Ohtani was advised against traveling for treatment, as doctors wanted to avoid any flights or high-altitude conditions immediately following treatment.

Roberts expressed hope that Ohtani will be back on the field on Friday, at least to swing a bat.

Even though Ohtani has been performing at an MVP level this season—with a .953 OPS ranking fifth among MLB hitters and a 1.79 ERA that places him second among pitchers—there are lingering concerns about his knee. The issue has been a bit worrisome.

After a start against Pittsburgh on June 10, his condition worsened, forcing him to exit one game early and miss another entirely. This nagging issue persisted, and Roberts frequently remarked that Ohtani was not at full strength.

During this troubling period, Ohtani’s pitching stats took a hit, with his ERA rising from 0.74 prior to June 10 to 4.38 in his four following starts. However, his batting performance remained unaffected.

“Pitching is more taxing,” Ohtani commented in Japanese last week. He identified that his discomfort stemmed from his patella, which had previously undergone surgery in 2019 due to a congenital condition.

Despite these challenges, the Dodgers seem to be minimizing major concerns and are optimistic that Ohtani will resume his dual-role responsibilities for the rest of the season. But that return won’t happen just yet this weekend in New York.