Shohei Ohtani earned his sixth career All-Star Game selection by virtue of leading all players in voting through Phase 1.
The two-way star will start at designated hitter for the National League, but whether he also pitches in this year’s Midsummer Classic is still under consideration.
“He’ll obviously DH and then we’ll go from there,” Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said on SportsNet LA. “I don’t know exactly where he’s at with the pitching thing, but we’ll see. I don’t want to make a decision quite yet.”
Ohtani potentially pitching in the All-Star Game will come down to whether Roberts and the Dodgers are comfortable with him doing so. Ohtani is in his first full year removed from right elbow surgery and has made 13 pitching starts so far without any major issues.
If Ohtani does get the green light to pitch, it would be as the starter as it’s unreasonable to expect him to warm up while serving as the designated hitter.
Ohtani previously hit and pitched in the 2021 MLB All-Star Game as a member of the Los Angeles Angels, which is the only time he fulfilled both roles in the annual showcase.
Ohtani has pitched to an 8-2 record with a 1.58 ERA, 2.56 FIP, 0.90 WHIP and 9.7 strikeouts per nine in 79.2 innings this season. Of pitchers with at least 70 innings, only Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers (1.45 ERA) has a better mark.
Which Dodgers could join Shohei Ohtani in 2026 MLB All-Star Game?
The Dodgers are in position to have multiple All-Star starters this year as Will Smith, Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, Mookie Betts, Andy Pages and Teoscar Hernández all advanced to the second round of voting.
Freeman and Muncy each in position to be voted the starter, just like they were at the two previous updates. Pages has slipped to fourth among NL outfielders, Smith is a distant second to the Atlanta Braves’ Drake Baldwin, and Betts has closed the gap on CJ Abrams of the Washington Nationals but remains in second place as well.
Meanwhile, Roberts is leading the NL team for the second consecutive year and fifth time in his managerial career. In addition to Dodgers personnel, Roberts is including Philadelphia Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly and St. Louis Cardinals skipper Oliver Marmol on his NL coaching staff.
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