It wasn’t much, really.
Despite Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts’ attempts to minimize the incident involving Shohei Ohtani on Thursday night, the reality was that it was serious enough to remove him after he surrendered two runs in the seventh inning.
The Dodgers confirmed that Ohtani was absent from the 8-6 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates due to inflammation in his left knee.
Roberts mentioned that his level of concern isn’t particularly high, suggesting that Ohtani could be back in the lineup for the upcoming match against the Chicago White Sox.
“I’m glad he’ll be there tomorrow,” Roberts noted.
Chances are Ohtani will return on Friday, though there’s a possibility he might not.
This situation has brought a dose of reality back to what was turning into yet another extraordinary season for Ohtani.
Whether the injury is as minor as Roberts implied or more substantial, one thing is clear: Ohtani’s opportunity to function as both a full-time hitter and pitcher is narrowing.
He has only pitched enough innings to qualify as a pitcher once, which happened back in 2022 with the Angels.
That was when he was 28.
Now, he’s about to turn 32.
This age could justify a reduction in his workload, like skipping rotation spots or fewer at-bats.
Ohtani is currently batting .305, with 13 home runs, 40 RBIs, and a career-best on-base percentage of .421 this season.
There’s nothing wrong with scaling back, provided that’s what he wants.
It’s conceivable he might not get another chance at a season like this.
So, let him go for it.
Let’s support once-in-a-lifetime players as they chase once-in-a-lifetime seasons.
The goal should be to win the Cy Young Award, MVP Award, and the World Series all in the same year.
Of course, Ohtani might worry he’s overextending himself, thinking his body can’t handle his current role. That’s understandable. But if he’s motivated to keep pushing forward, he has every right to do so.
By deferring $680 million of a possible $700 million over ten years, he enabled the Dodgers to enhance their roster in ways few teams could. Because of him, they were able to recruit talents like Blake Snell and Kyle Tucker, thus assembling a strong enough team that he doesn’t have to be quite so protected.
When the Dodgers brought in Ohtani, they stepped into the dream-chasing realm. They recognized this—and, to their credit, they also extended the duration of his contract. They provided him the stage to achieve what no player has ever accomplished.
This vision should remain unchanged.
