The Los Angeles Dodgers’ superstar Shohei Ohtani has officially landed on the 15-day IL for the first time this season. With the way Ohtani has been trying to manage multiple injury setbacks with rest, it is honestly surprising that he avoided the injured list for so long. However, the Dodgers’ way of handling Shohei Ohtani has raised some uncomfortable questions. It starts with the extent of control the two-way star actually has over the team and how it may have affected his pitching.

“Dave Roberts admitted…that Shohei did want to win a Cy Young. It was one of the last frontiers for him. Now, looking back, maybe they pushed too hard, and maybe this was too much. He’s not 25 anymore,” Ken Rosenthal said on Foul Territory.

The Dodgers entered the 2026 season aiming for a three-peat of the World Series. Apart from winning the World Series, Ohtani had one more goal entering the season: posting a Cy Young-worthy performance. And for the first few months of this season, Ohtani was right on track.

In April, Ohtani posted a 0.75 ERA across 24 innings in 4 starts. In the following month, his numbers also remained impressive. In 4 starts, he posted a 3-1 record with 1.08 ERA across 25 innings.

However, this marked the first season Ohtani resumed his two-way duties after his second Tommy John surgery. And at 32, balancing the workload of a DH and a starting pitcher might have been too much for him. In Rosenthal’s words, the workload might have “pushed him too hard.” As his body could not bear the pressure, Ohtani suffered multiple injury setbacks.

First, Ohtani had to shelve his Cy Young dreams this season due to his lingering left knee soreness. Every time he took the mound, the issue flared up. The Dodgers shut him down from throwing in games since July 3. The franchise started a throwing program to build him back up, but Ohtani has not thrown since August 28. Now, with his latest IL placement, it is confirmed that Ohtani will no longer be pitching this season. If the Dodgers want to enjoy his unique two-way ability next season, the team has to figure out a different action plan for Ohtani.

“So, entering next year, it’s going to be a really interesting question for the Dodgers and for Ohtani, just how they want to approach the pitching aspect of it. And I anticipate, I would expect that it’s going to be a different approach than it was this season,” Ken Rosenthal added.

However, Ohtani’s injuries are not only affecting his pitching. His production rate at the plate has also considerably declined. He went 2-for-26 in the last seven games, batting .077. Before the Dodgers placed him on the IL, Ohtani was sidelined from the lineup for four consecutive games. He was suffering from a sore neck and biceps discomfort.

While everyone expected an IL stint at that time, the Dodgers opted to rest him to avoid the 15-day IL. But after just one game, Ohtani tweaked his arm and was back on the bench. However, this time questions arose about his transparency with the team.

According to Rosenthal, “What I was told this week is that whenever the Dodgers say, ‘We need you to do this,’ even if it’s a step in some regard, but it’s for the team’s benefit, he will say yes. That’s not a problem. He’s good that way. Where it is lacking, from what I was told, is sometimes in communicating just how he is feeling physically to the powers that be.”

Though it is unclear whether Ohtani did it deliberately or not, he did not tell the trainers about his recently injured right arm until Tuesday night. Ohtani initially felt the discomfort while swinging at a pitch the day before.

With Ohtani on the IL, the Dodgers have called up top prospect Josue De Paula to replace him on the roster. With just 15 games remaining in the regular season, it remains to be seen what the Dodgers’ October will look like.