Shohei Ohtani is back at the top of the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup for their series finale against the San Diego Padres on Sunday night. It coincides with Ohtani celebrating his 32nd birthday.
The two-way star is in his usual leadoff spot and starting at designated hitter after being held out of Saturday’s game due to a minor issue with his right bicep.
Ohtani did not appear off the bench in the Dodgers’ 3-0 win on Independence Day, but manager Dave Roberts expressed confidence he would be able to return for the series finale.
“No, we were going to have him down tonight regardless,” Roberts said after Saturday’s game when asked if Ohtani was available in any capacity. “But I do expect him in the lineup tomorrow.”
Roberts added that it was a full day off for Ohtani, who didn’t participate in any drills before the middle matchup at Dodger Stadium.
“No, nothing baseball-related tonight,” Roberts said.
Ohtani allowed three runs and collected nine strikeouts over six innings in Friday’s game against the Padres. While it represented Ohtani’s sixth consecutive start completing at least six innings, he was pinch-hit for by Miguel Rojas after the Dodgers took the lead in the bottom of the seventh inning.
“More precautionary reason. I was a little concerned with my bicep from the last at-bat,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton after the game.
Ohtani, who previously dealt with bicep trouble earlier this season, specified that he felt some discomfort during his final at-bat of the game in the fourth inning. He flied out to deep left field against Michael King and revealed the trouble only occurred while swinging.
The Dodgers have made it a priority to manage Ohtani’s workload this season, which includes occasional days off or not being in the lineup for his pitching starts. He had already been navigating a blister on the middle finger of his right hand and left knee inflammation for the better part of the past month.
Shohei Ohtani among Dodgers All-Stars
Ohtani is among the Dodgers’ five initial All-Star Game selectees, joining Freddie Freeman, Andy Pages, Max Muncy and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Ohtani once again earned the automatic starting spot as the designated hitter by virtue of receiving the most votes for any National League player in Phase 1.
Whether Ohtani also pitches in this year’s Midsummer Classic is still under consideration.
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