Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Shohei Ohtani will be back in the lineup as the designated hitter this weekend against the New York Yankees, even after the two-way star had a procedure to ease irritation in his left knee.
Roberts shared the update ahead of Tuesday’s All-Star Game, explaining that Ohtani had fluid drained from the knee after the Dodgers’ final game of the first half on Sunday. There was no injection involved, Roberts said.
The bigger question is whether Ohtani will also take the mound right away. Roberts wasn’t ready to say that yet.
Ohtani was scratched from his scheduled pitching start last Friday so he could get extra rest on the inflamed knee before the break. He still served as the DH in the club’s final first-half series and went 4-for-11 with two home runs.
Shohei Ohtani is going into the All-Star break with a bang. He just crushed a leadoff home run 111.8 mph off the bat and 437 feet.That knee looks all good. pic.twitter.com/j5N7rhs6CB
Ohtani has said the knee bothers him more when he’s pitching than when he’s hitting, and his work at the plate since leaving a mid-June game with the injury hasn’t shown much drop-off. The one offensive limitation tied to the knee has been his base stealing.
On the mound, the timing of the injury lined up with his quietest stretch of the season.
Rather than take part in this week’s All-Star events, Ohtani chose to get the procedure done and use the break to recover. He also said he could have pitched last Friday, which points to a possible return to the rotation when the Dodgers get back to work.
“Although I could’ve started [Friday], it would’ve still been pushing the envelope a little bit," Ohtani said. "But my every intention is to use the off days to make sure I’m in a good place to be able to be in the rotation.”
Roberts said he respected that call from his star player.
“I think that No. 1, he’s always said, we’ve always said, the goal is October, for all of our players,” Roberts said last week. “With that, yeah, he’s had the Cy Young in mind, and understandably so. But nothing is going to come in front of being healthy for October.
"And so for him to concede and miss a start in the best interest of him and the team, that’s not a surprise. Those are two separate things, but No. 1 is being ready for October, and he’s always said that.”
The Dodgers can stretch Ohtani’s rest further by using their other five starters first after the break. The club has also tried to line up his outings with off days when possible, which is why he has mostly pitched on Wednesdays this season.
Los Angeles has six straight games coming out of the break before an off day on Thursday, July 23, so Wednesday, July 22 against the Philadelphia Phillies would be the logical spot for Ohtani’s first pitching start of the second half.
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