Shohei Ohtani Scratched From Wednesday’s Start, Won’t Pitch “For Some Time”
Shohei OhtaniA strained left knee continues to curtail his career on the mound, as Dodger manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including MLB.com’s Sonja Chen) today that Ohtani will not start Wednesday against the Phillies. Ohtani will continue his normal DH duties, but it is unclear when he will return to kicking.
“Where we are now, how we are doing, I would say that it will take time. I can say that it won’t be an everyday thing,” said Roberts.” The captain said that Ohtani will play again this season, and that the decision is a precautionary one.
“In fact, a lot of it is where we are and how we position ourselves,” Roberts said, referring to Los Angeles’ march toward another NL West title.Can he do it? Of course. But for now, just the benefits [don’t] seems to outweigh the cost at this time of the season. So I think we still have a lot of time to get him to the right place to install it.”
Ohtani’s last game as a pitcher was on July 3, when he allowed three earned runs in six innings in the Dodgers’ 4-3 victory over the Padres. Ohtani has a 4.38 ERA over his last 24 2/3 innings pitched, which could reflect irritation of his knee or perhaps a natural regression from the 0.74 ERA Ohtani posted in his first 10 innings and 61 frames. The Dodgers held Ohtani out of his scheduled start before the All-Star break and he skipped the All-Star Game to give himself more rest, while receiving an Orthovisc injection in his knee.
After UCL surgery kept him from pitching at all in 2024, Ohtani posted a 2.87 ERA over 47 regular-season innings as a pitcher in 2025, then added another 20 1/3 innings of playing time. The Dodgers have been careful to manage Ohtani’s rest throughout the year, giving him some days off in the DH role on days before or after his start.
As always, the Dodgers are focused on keeping Ohtani (and the rest of their injured players) healthy in October. In Ohtani’s particular case, the Dodgers don’t want to push him and risk any kind of injury that could limit his hitting potential. The knee problem doesn’t seem to be slowing down Ohtani’s bat, and he hit a home run in the Dodgers’ 8-2 victory over the Yankees today in the first game of a doubleheader.
Los Angeles has dealt with a number of injuries over the past few years, however those losses have not affected the Dodgers’ success due to the depth of talent on the major league roster and farm system. Even now, Ohtani is unavailable for both Blake Snell again Tyler Glasnow on the 60-day injured list, LA still has it Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Justin Wrobleski, Roki Sasaki, Emmett Sheehanagain Eric Lauer in circulation.
Between these arms and an all-but-guaranteed playoff ticket, Los Angeles can afford to give Ohtani, Snell, and Glasnow all the time they need throughout the regular season. Trading at least one other deep starter is also possible, if the Dodgers’ concerns about their bullpen’s health grow between now and the August 3 trade deadline.
