After returning to the mound following his second Tommy John surgery, Shohei Ohtani quickly established himself as one of the leading Cy Young contenders in 2026. Given that it is one of the few major accolades the superstar has yet to win, expectations are naturally high. However, a recurring knee issue has repeatedly interrupted his pursuit of the honor. With the Los Angeles Dodgers prioritizing his long-term health, Pedro Martinez has now weighed in on the situation.

“For Ohtani, it’s personal to go after a Cy Young Award, and he’s in a good position to win it. But he also needs to stay healthy and get enough rest, so I think the Dodgers are pacing him,” the 2004 World Series champion wrote on X.

Ohtani’s current knee issue traces back to June 11, when he was pulled from a Pittsburgh Pirates game. Many thought that his discomfort stemmed from baserunning, but the 4x MLB MVP later disclosed that it was due to flawed pitching mechanics. 

“I think it’s because in my last start, the way I threw wasn’t very good,” he said. 

This added concern for his health, as Ohtani has a history of a congenital bipartite patella in his left knee, for which he underwent surgery in 2019. Although the imaging came back clean in June, the Dodgers remained cautious with their two-way star. 

He returned to the mound after a rest day, but it was soon clear that the issue persisted. The club then scratched him from the last series of the first half against the Arizona Diamondbacks and eventually shut him down from pitching indefinitely. 

Although the 32-year-old was selected for the All-Star Game for the sixth time in a row, he chose to sit it out. Ohtani focused on his recovery instead of attending the Midsummer Classic and apologized to the fans who voted for him. 

“We just want to give it the best chance to get into a good spot,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “It’s the pitching and the torque, and landing on the leg that gets it upset.”

The designated hitter has a 1.79 ERA with 95 strikeouts from 14 starts. His 8-2 record is still one of the best in his career. While those numbers are impressive, the latest Cy Young favorites list released by MLB.com on Tuesday doesn’t have Ohtani among the top five in the National League.

What is more, even after scratching him from pitching duties, Roberts mentioned this does “not change anything” regarding his pitching plan in the second half. 

However, Shohei Ohtani hasn’t pitched since July 3, but he has been active with the bat. In fact, he has managed 7 hits and 3 runs, including a homer in his last 7 games. He is batting at .287 with a .928 OPS. The Dodgers, on the other hand, have lost 7 of their last 12 games. It hasn’t affected their ranking, as they are still leading the NL West with a 64-38 record. 

But as Martinez explained, Ohtani needs to be healthy. Both for the team’s three-peat dream and for his individual accolades.