Shohei Ohtani’s brief injury scare appears to be exactly that: a scare. The Los Angeles Dodgers have spent the season carefully managing the health of their two-way superstar, so when Ohtani was removed from a June 11 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates with swelling in his left knee, concern spread quickly. While he eased some of those fears by launching a home run in the following game, questions remained about whether the Dodgers would alter his pitching schedule as a precaution.
Those concerns have now been put to rest.
Dodgers Receive Encouraging Update
According to reports, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed that Ohtani is expected to take the mound as scheduled on Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Rays. Roberts said the early signs from Ohtani’s pregame work were encouraging.
“I saw that he had just a catch-play right now,” Roberts said. “He’s going to do his touchy-feely deal from the mound in a little bit. I saw him play some catch. Looks good, feels good. Look forward to him making a start on Wednesday.”
That news is a welcome development for a Dodgers club that relies heavily on Ohtani’s unique ability to impact games both at the plate and on the mound.
Ohtani Heating Up at the Plate
After what would qualify as a slow start only by his lofty standards, Ohtani has begun to heat up offensively. Over his last six games, he has blasted four home runs, pushing his season totals to 15 homers, 42 RBIs, six stolen bases, and a .297/.419/.547 slash line, according to Baseball Reference.
As impressive as those numbers are, his work as a pitcher has arguably been even more dominant.
Through 11 starts, Ohtani owns a 6-2 record with a sparkling 1.06 ERA. He has posted a 0.842 WHIP while striking out 9.7 batters per nine innings, continuing to demonstrate why many consider him the most complete player in the sport.
Dodgers Taking No Chances
The Dodgers have shown little interest in taking unnecessary risks with their franchise cornerstone, especially given the physical demands of playing at an elite level on both sides of the ball. Roberts emphasized that the team remains vigilant whenever any potential injury concern arises.
“Anyone that has anything that has a potential red flag, we’ll certainly be watching closely. But again, he wouldn’t start if we felt that we were going to put him in harm’s way. He’s a competitor,” Roberts added.
Ohtani enters Wednesday’s matchup coming off a solid outing in which he worked 6.2 innings and allowed three earned runs. With his knee apparently responding well and his bat showing signs of catching fire, all eyes will once again be on baseball’s biggest attraction as he returns to the mound against the Rays.
For the Dodgers, the most important takeaway is straightforward: Ohtani appears healthy, available, and ready to continue delivering at an elite level on both sides of the game.
