Shohei Ohtani is back in the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup, leading off as the designated hitter, for the second game of the series against the Chicago White Sox on Saturday.
Ohtani was held out of the lineup on Friday for the series opener, despite optimism that he would play. He was first removed from the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday due to left knee inflammation.
“He’s doing fine today,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Friday on SportsNet LA. “I thought initially it was the hamstring. It was the knee. It just kind of got upset, swelled up a little bit. We were kind of getting ahead of it, getting him out of the game, which I think was prudent. And with the travel, just to give him an extra day.
“My hope is that he’s in there tomorrow, but if not, he’ll need another day. But it’s something I think we can manage. Not an IL situation. Seeing him today, he feels fine-ish. Just giving him an extra day is the smart thing to do.”
Ohtani underwent an MRI on Friday that revealed only “normal wear and tear,” according to Roberts. However, the two-way superstar was dealing with “some soreness” in the back of his left knee.
Although Ohtani was out of the lineup on Friday, Roberts was confident the designated hitter would have played in a more important part of the season.
The 31-year-old is hitting .305/.421/.543 with 13 home runs, 48 runs scored, 40 RBI and a 166 wRC+ across 67 games this season. Ohtani has also found his power swing recently, hitting home runs in consecutive games against the Pirates and being robbed of a third one.
The right-hander is still scheduled to make his next start on the mound on Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Rays at Dodger Stadium.
“I expect him to make his start on Wednesday until I hear otherwise,” Roberts said.
Shohei Ohtani left knee history
Ohtani had surgery on his left knee in 2019 to repair a bipartite patella, which occurs when the two bones of the kneecap don’t fuse together at birth.
However, there isn’t a connection with that and the current issue, and the Dodgers aren’t sure what caused the latest inflammation.
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