Shohei Ohtani returned to full-time pitching this season, but the resumption of his two-way role hasn’t gone according to plan. And while he has posted Cy Young-worthy numbers as a starting pitcher, the reality is that he has also dealt with constant injury struggles throughout the season. After the Dodgers kept him out of the lineup on Thursday, speculation about his health resurfaced, with one insider questioning the power dynamics within the team.

“He’s clearly going back. I mean, look, he said at the beginning, right, when this knee thing first came up. It’s like, ‘Okay, yeah, I feel it, but I can pitch through this.’ Then he couldn’t pitch, right?” columnist Dylan Hernandez said on California Post Sports. “Well, you know what? Like we have got to the point where he isn’t in the lineup because of this, clearly. I mean, anyone can see this. Like, a 5-year-old can tell you that this thing’s getting worse. And you know what? You know what it is?

“They are afraid of him. That’s the bottom line here, right?… I hate to kind of go here, but I think that this is a factor: like, they want to be liked by the players, right? I have talked about this before, obviously, by the fact that they are right. He is basically taking no money upfront right now. Most of his contract is going to be paid in retirement. The fact that he’s generating millions and millions of dollars for this team… You could argue that that has kind of subverted the power dynamic.”

Hernandez further added that the Dodgers could put Ohtani on the IL, and “he’s not going to go crazy, like that’s just not going to happen. So I don’t even understand what they’re afraid of, right?”

Though the Dodgers remain hopeful for a late-season pitching return, Ohtani has been sidelined from the same for the foreseeable future because of lingering soreness in his left knee. He has not pitched since July 3, partly due to that issue and because he was also dealing with biceps trouble. However, Ohtani prefers staying on the field, even if it means playing through discomfort.

He was absent from the lineup on Thursday for the series finale against the Seattle Mariners, which led Hernandez to question why the Dodgers have not placed him on the injured list outright instead of giving him rest days.

The California Post columnist also speculated that it might be due to the huge revenue that the Japanese phenomenon generates for the team. Ohtani is under a ten-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers, which was the highest contract value in MLB history at the time. Most of the Dodgers’ deferred financial commitments belong to Ohtani, who is set to receive $680 million in payments spread across 2034 through 2043.

Meanwhile, the four-time MVP’s presence on the team is generating millions in real time. The Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board estimated last year that between 80% and 90% of visitors from Japan include a trip to Dodger Stadium during their stay. The president and CEO of Los Angeles Tourism, Adam Burke, noted that Los Angeles welcomed 230,000 visitors from Japan in 2023, a year-over-year increase of more than 90% from 2022. That number is expected to approach 290,000 in 2024, further establishing Japan as one of the city’s top international sources of tourism.

“It’s typical of Japanese itineraries to include up to three games for longer trips,” Burke told SFGATE in 2025. “The Ohtani Effect is real.” 

That’s the kind of craze Ohtani brings with him. Hence, Hernandez believes the superstar holds significant sway over the team’s decisions regarding his health and playing status.

And maybe, just maybe, that’s the reason the Dodgers have been giving Ohtani intermittent rest days instead of placing him on the injured list.

Shohei Ohtani faces renewed injury scare?

This season, trouble seems to be continuously chasing the two-way phenom.

After Wednesday’s 4-2 win, Ohtani told the training staff that he was experiencing renewed knee soreness. He reportedly wanted to play through the series finale against the Mariners, but the team decided to rest him instead.

“I appreciate the communication,” Roberts reportedly said. “I can’t read minds, the training staff can’t read minds, so just for him to communicate that then allows us to make a decision.”

On Thursday, 2B Tommy Edman replaced Ohtani in the lineup. He went 0-for-3 as the Dodgers recorded a 6-2 win.

Ohtani was back in the lineup as DH on Friday and Saturday against the Boston Red Sox. He has gone 3-for-8 with two RBIs and a home run. However, the Red Sox have handed the Dodgers back-to-back losses, and Los Angeles will try to avoid a sweep in the series finale.