Shohei Ohtani has been highly effective as a pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers this season, and even more impressive is that he’s done it while dealing with a minor injury over his last few starts.
Ohtani was seen picking and biting at his right hand during his start against the Arizona Diamondbacks on June 3, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shared it was due to a blister he’s dealing with.
“There is a little blister. Everyone saw him picking at it a little bit, but I didn’t hear too much about it after the game,” Roberts said. “So I don’t expect it to affect him going forward. Even [Wednesday], if we wouldn’t have tacked on, he would’ve stayed in there.”
Fortunately, it doesn’t seem to be anything serious or of concern at the moment. The Dodgers’ training staff will likely continue to monitor his hand, but don’t expect the blister to affect Ohtani.
“Tommy (trainer Thomas Albert) just kind of gives me a little information on how he’s feeling,” Roberts said. “Every time I’ve asked, it’s been a non-issue.”
The right-hander has been dealing with it for the last couple of starts now, Roberts revealed. That also helps explain some of Roberts’ cryptic comments before games about Ohtani, when the skipper says he doesn’t know what to expect from his starting pitcher or how his stuff will play.
Even with the blister, Ohtani has managed to throw 17 innings with just one run allowed on five hits over his last three starts. He also posted a streak of recording 32 outs in a row between hits allowed.
The issue hasn’t affected his batting ability either. Over the last 15 games, Ohtani is hitting .429/.522/.714 with three home runs, 9 RBI and 11 runs scored.
Ohtani has been making his case for the National League Cy Young Award this season, posting a 0.74 ERA across 61 innings with a 0.79 WHIP and 67 strikeouts. As a hitter, Ohtani is slashing .301/.420/.521 with 10 home runs, 33 RBI and 41 runs scored.
Dodgers have monitored Shohei Ohtani’s health
After Ohtani’s start against the Padres, Roberts shared that the team has been monitoring the two-way star’s health. Ohtani said there was no specific issue, but instead his “overall feel” was off.
The Dodgers have already kept an eye on two separate instances where Ohtani may have been dealing with an injury. The 31-year-old was seen shaking his wrist in early April, prompting concern from Roberts.
Ohtani was also hit by a pitch on his right shoulder in the middle of April, but the Dodgers determined it to be a bruise. Still, the training staff kept an eye on it in the following days.
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