Shohei Ohtani’s recovery from left knee and right biceps discomfort has not progressed as the Los Angeles Dodgers had hoped, with news that the 32-year-old is “unlikely” to pitch again in 2026.
The Dodgers took additional measures to ensure their star player received the rest he needed by relieving him of designated hitter duties for a four-game stretch. Ohtani returned to the lineup on Monday but received another day off for the second game against the Cincinnati Reds.
“I think with Shohei, he came out of yesterday well, but talking to the training staff, it’s more the thought of let’s build him up slowly,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts explained. “He’ll be available in a big spot tonight. He’ll be in there tomorrow, and then my expectation is that he’ll be back in there on (Friday) too.”
The Dodgers do not necessarily plan to have Ohtani alternate between one day on and one day off. They intend to maintain some flexibility and adjust however is necessary.
“So I think if today goes well, which I assume it will, and then he’s in there [Wednesday], and that goes well, I would expect him to be in there on (Friday). But if he needs a day, and we need to pivot and give him two days,” Roberts said.
Roberts could not provide an exact definition of what conditions would necessitate an off day for Ohtani, only saying that there are a couple more to come throughout the remainder of the regular season.
“I think it’s just more of being proactive. We have 19-20 games left. We have some off days in there, so I don’t know. It’s not premeditated, predetermined, but I can see a couple more off days in there for him,” he said.
Shohei Ohtani feels “considerably” better after days off
The Dodgers stood by their approach of giving Ohtani some much-needed rest even if the results did not immediately appear in the box score. He did not collect a hit in four plate appearances on Monday, but Roberts liked Ohtani’s swings..
More importantly, Ohtani informed the team how much better he felt after the time off.
“Yeah, he got to 99 (mph) at the top of the zone. Flew out to left field, which a week ago, he wasn’t close to catching up to that. So I think that’s a good thing,” Roberts said.
“I think at the end of the day, it’s just him saying that, ‘I feel considerably better than I did.’ And so I think for us, it’s not about just tonight. Obviously, he’s not in the lineup tonight. It’s about what can we do to get him to be optimum as we get into the postseason.
“So I think that a day here, there is not the worst thing to make sure that you know his body overall feels as good, as close to 100% as possible”
If you love our reporting, choose DodgerBlue.com as a preferred source on Google.
