Shohei Ohtani is still playing every day for the Los Angeles Dodgers. That doesn’t mean he is 100%.
The Dodgers star revealed Tuesday night that he is dealing with a biceps issue in addition to the knee problem that required a lubricant injection during the All-Star break. Ohtani hasn’t pitched since July 3 due to those problems, though he has played 17 games as a designated hitter in that time span.
His comment through an interpreter, via The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya:
“My biceps’ not 100 percent. Just similar issue with the knee. Do we consider pushing this? It is still July. So I think the conversation would be a little different if we’re in August or September.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shed more light on the issue, explaining that the issue emerged as a knock-on effect from Ohtani’s knee while he was in a bullpen session, per Jack Harris of the California Post:
“I think in the bullpen in Philadelphia, [his bicep] just wasn’t responding. Nor was his knee. There is an effect on the lower half to the compromising of the upper half, the arm, and so trying to mitigate that, we stopped the throwing, stopped the bullpens.
“Hopefully, No. 1 take care of the knee, and then not try to have him create velocity with the arm that’s not 100%. So that’s kind of where we’re at. If we look at him, and his value to our ballclub, we need him in the lineup. The swing, the running of the bases, the knee, the arm, doesn’t compromise that.”
To Roberts’ latter point, the knee and biceps issues didn’t stop Ohtani from hitting a leadoff homer on Tuesday against the Seattle Mariners. He went 3-for-4 with a walk and finished a triple shy of the cycle, though the Dodgers lost 7-6.
Shohei Ohtani is a one-way player for now, but he delivered plenty of value on Tuesday.
(AP Photo/Wally Skalij)
Ohtani playing despite an injury preventing him from pitching is obviously nothing new in his Dodgers career. He spent all of 2024 recovering from an internal brace surgery and still managed to post the first 50-50 season in MLB history, not to mention win his first World Series ring.
It remains unclear when Ohtani will next pitch, especially with the biceps issue. The Dodgers have insisted he will pitch again this season, but they canceled his bullpen session over the weekend to “regression” in that knee.
The Dodgers’ top priority is going to be making sure Ohtani is fully functional come playoff time. That likely means not pushing a return to the mound any sooner than they have to, and an 11.5-game lead in the NL West gives them plenty of wiggle room. However, it stands to reason they will want him to come back in time to make at least a few starts to make sure he can make a full start once their three-peat bid begins in earnest.
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