Dave Roberts admitted on Wednesday that the Los Angeles Dodgers’ biggest star isn’t “close to optimal,” but the team isn’t putting Shohei Ohtani on the injured list. The manager has acknowledged Ohtani’s visible and persistent discomfort, while his recent struggles at the plate have raised concerns about whether the franchise is pushing him too far. Both Roberts and GM Brandon Gomes have now addressed the delicate balance between protecting Ohtani’s health and keeping his bat in the lineup.
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“Well, today’s going to be down. You know, we’ll check on his availability late in the game. Ideally, take it as a mental, physical day,” the manager said on Thursday, as per Dodgers beat writer Fredo Cervantes. “We can make a decision as far as tomorrow. I don’t want to get too far ahead of thinking about IL.”
Ohtani is currently day-to-day, and Roberts said the Dodgers will continue to evaluate his situation while allowing him to get some rest.
The Dodgers’ recent series against the St. Louis Cardinals hasn’t been too fruitful for Ohtani either. During the first game, he made a hard slide into third. He was aiming for home plate, but third-base coach Dino Ebel advised him against it. He was a bit late with his call, and Ohtani just managed to scramble to the bag at third.
But he remained motionless for a little while. After he got up, he was seen stretching his knee, and the discomfort was visible on his face.
Later in the same game, he suffered a hit-by-pitch from Justin Bruihl in the seventh. Even though he tried to steer out of the way, the ball made solid contact with his right elbow. The bat just dropped through his grip, and the pain in his face was impossible to ignore, but the two-way star somehow continued to play before the manager decided to send Alex Call in his place.
The second game against the Cardinals didn’t put as much physical strain on Ohtani as the first. However, it appeared that he was still recovering from the discomfort he experienced the previous night. Although Roberts was optimistic about Ohtani being back on the field, his at-bats painted a different picture.
The 32-year-old went 0-for-4 on Wednesday and suffered 4 strikeouts. The manager acknowledged that he saw Ohtani shaking his arm and wincing, and admitted that his swings weren’t what they used to be. That prompted Roberts to speak with Ohtani and the training staff about the situation.
“He definitely doesn’t want to take the day. I think I know he feels that he needs to post and be in the lineup,” Roberts said after the 8-6 loss in the second game. “And if he’s upright, he should play. I respect that. But if he’s, you know, feeling the way that visibly looks, then really not helping anyone.”
The manager just wanted a better insight into Shohei Ohtani’s situation, and Ohtani had told the training staff that his right biceps and neck were bothering him. So, after the primary discussion with the staff, he sent a text to the player, notifying him about keeping him out of the roster on Thursday. According to Cervantes, he didn’t offer a chance to rebut, and the Japanese superstar “simply replied with a salute emoji.”
“I think not having Shohei in the lineup, for you know, 10 days or whatever, would be something that we would prefer not to do,” Gomes said on Thursday. “And it really hasn’t even been something that we discovered.”
But Roberts is convinced that Ohtani understands the reasoning behind the day-to-day decisions. Apparently, he wasn’t getting better by being on the active roster, and it’s been two months since he pitched in a live game. It felt like he was getting better, and he even had some bullpen sessions, but the recent setbacks, and especially the issues with his biceps and neck, haven’t made it any easier to get back to his two-way form.
Even though the Dodgers are atop the NL West, they don’t want Ohtani on the IL. However, if his issues persist heading into October, they could face much bigger challenges.