It is no surprise that the Los Angeles Dodgers are pushing for a third consecutive World Series title, but with curveballs like Shohei Ohtani’s injury and 12 other key players on the injured list, is that a realistic approach? Well, they certainly have momentum, sitting atop the National League with a 67-39 record. In fact, many believe the Dodgers will make a blockbuster move by the August 3 trade deadline. But their manager, Dave Roberts? Not so much.

“I don’t think our approach to the deadline has changed given these last three weeks of Shohei,” Dave Roberts was quoted in an X post from SleeperDodgers. 

The Dodgers have been without Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell since May. As if that weren’t enough, Shohei Ohtani has also been dealing with knee discomfort. His last pitching start came on July 3, and the team postponed his bullpen session last Saturday.

Los Angeles is now down to Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki, Emmet Sheehan, Justin Wrobleski, and Eric Lauer in its starting rotation. Even so, the Dodgers have won six of their nine games since the All-Star break. Maybe that’s why the Dodgers manager has decided to keep faith in his current roster.

But the change in the two-way star’s play? Yeah, that’s bound to cause concern, with some experts even suggesting that Ohtani should be shut down as a pitcher completely. On the other hand, many expected the franchise to reinforce its rotation at the trade deadline by bringing in Tarik Skubal.

The Detroit Tigers ace is expected to hit free agency once the season ends, and there has been little indication that his team is ready to invest the kind of money needed to retain him. If that remains the case, the Dodgers could be well-positioned to pursue a deal, particularly because they have the controllable young pitching the Tigers are believed to want in return.

While Dave Roberts never addressed such trade buzz directly, he has ensured that the Dodgers are more likely to be sellers than buyers. To top that, he has expressed optimism about the returning players.

Snell has already begun his rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City. He threw 49 pitches, 32 of them for strikes, over 2.2 innings on July 24. Glasnow faced live hitters for the first time last Friday. Both are expected to return in August. Other players like Will Smith (mid-August), Edwin Díaz, and Kiké Hernández (scheduled for July 28) are expected to rejoin the roster soon.

It appears that Los Angeles is still prioritizing the acquisition of minor league talent and is open to dealing from its deep pool of outfield prospects to create better balance within the farm system. At the same time, the club is evaluating whether to bring in an additional backup catcher until Will Smith returns.

Moving on, although the manager expected “Shohei to be pitching” soon, his recovery hasn’t been as straightforward. 

Shohei Ohtani’s recovery continues to test Dodgers’ patience

The 6x All-Star had to leave the mound midgame during the Pittsburgh Pirates game on June 11. Shohei Ohtani later said that it resulted from his flawed pitching mechanics. Even though he was back on the mound soon enough, Showtime fans took a trip down memory lane. His history of congenital bipartite patella and the time he missed for the surgery in 2019 raised enough concern. 

And it only grew when he was scratched from starting the game before the All-Star break this season. Dave Roberts remained positive and mentioned that it would change the Dodgers’ plans regarding Ohtani’s pitching in the second half. 

Unfortunately, his last start was July 3 against the San Diego Padres. The 4x MVP even received an Orthovisc injection (a hyaluronic acid lubricant to provide shock absorption and pain relief) earlier in July. He then had a 30-pitch bullpen session last Wednesday in Philadelphia. While that created some hope, the Dodgers postponed his Saturday session, citing that his recovery wasn’t 100%. 

Roberts admitted that there was “a little bit of regression” and said that, “We’re not going to move forward until he feels 100% confident.”

According to MLB.com, if any of the four aces—Ohtani, Yamamoto, Snell, and Glasnow—show any indication that they’ll be available in October, it could alter the Dodgers’ plans. And with the trade deadline less than a week away, Dave Roberts’ patience and confidence will soon be put to the test.