Shohei Ohtani has been shut down from pitching due to separate left knee and right biceps injuries, but the Los Angeles Dodgers remain hopeful that he will return to the mound before the end of the season as he continues to make progress.
Ohtani has only missed one game since the Fourth of July as he continues to fulfill his designated hitter duties. The two-way star didn’t see a need to take off multiple days as a way to reset, and suggested he might need to undergo a procedure on his knee after the season.
“I really took the All-Star break as that opportunity to really stay off my knees,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton on July 28. “It’s really something that I have to just deal with over the course of the season. I’m really working. I did have an injection. So talking to the team doctor, it’s a decision that I’m going to ultimately make, probably in the postseason or after the season is over.”
There was an initial expectation that Ohtani would have his left knee drained at the start of the All-Star break. However, he ended up treating it with an Orthovisc injection that typically is utilized to help relieve knee pain caused by arthritis.
The trouble is taking place in the same knee Ohtani had surgery on in 2019 to repair a bipartite patella. The rare congenital condition occurs when the two bones of the kneecap fail to fuse together at birth. Ohtani admitted to wondering if that operation is a factor in the discomfort he’s experiencing this season.
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, manager Dave Roberts and Ohtani have all maintained that he will return to pitching this season.
The right-hander has been in the process of building back up and recently completed a bullpen session of 45 pitches. The next step for Ohtani will be to face hitters, and that may happen a few times before he’s able to start building back up in short outings during MLB games.
Dodgers don’t expect Shohei Ohtani to need left knee surgery
When asked about the possibility of Ohtani undergoing left knee surgery after the season, Friedman expressed a bit of surprise. “That’s the first I’ve heard of that,” he replied.
Roberts also said he was unaware of any potential plans for Ohtani to undergo a procedure. At this point, no surgery is in the plans for Ohtani after the season.
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