Shohei Ohtani returned to the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup on Saturday after missing the series opener against the Chicago White Sox due to left knee inflammation.
The two-way star wasted no time getting back on track as he led off the game with his 14th home run of the season and reached base three additional times via walk.
“I felt good waking up in the morning,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton on SportsNet LA. “Feel good now. So pretty confident I’ll be able to stay healthy and should be good to go tomorrow, as well.”
Ohtani’s knee trouble began on Thursday, when he was removed early from the Dodgers’ 8-6 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. An MRI on Friday yielded encouraging results, with manager Dave Roberts relaying the 31-year-old is only dealing with “normal wear and tear” and that the issue is unrelated to his previous left knee surgery in 2019.
Ohtani suspects the latest knee injury may have stemmed from his pitching mechanics in his previous start against the Pirates on Wednesday.
“Actually, it’s hard to pinpoint at what moment this happened,” Ohtani began. “All I can really know for sure is that I think my mechanics weren’t quite great, in terms of my pitching side, so I believe that had something to do with this.”
Ohtani allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits and collected six strikeouts in 6.2 innings of work against the Pirates last week. He was one out away from getting through the seventh, but Brandon Lowe chased him with a two-run double. Another run would later score on Max Muncy’s fielding error before Alex Vesia recorded the final out.
While it went down as a quality start for Ohtani, he uncharacteristically allowed 10 baserunners in the outing. The right-hander has been dealing with a blister on his right middle finger and also threw to Dalton Rushing for the first time this season, but downplayed both of those as being factors in his performance.
Will Shohei Ohtani make next pitching start?
Despite dealing with some left knee soreness, Ohtani is expected to make his next pitching start on Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Rays at Dodger Stadium.
“I wasn’t 100% today, but with the next three, four days, I feel pretty confident with enough recovery that I should be able to make the next start,” Ohtani said.
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