Ohtani (thigh) is serving as the designated hitter and batting out of the leadoff spot against the Padres on Friday.
Ohtani took a comebacker to his right thigh during Wednesday's game against the Rockies, but the injury isn't severe enough for him to miss Friday's NL West series opener. Ohtani has reached base safely in all 18 games since Aug. 1, and over that span he has posted a 1.266 OPS with 20 runs, four steals, six home runs and 10 RBI in 82 plate appearances.
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Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Expected back Friday
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Ohtani (thigh) is expected to return to the lineup Friday against the Padres, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Ohtani was removed from Wednesday's game after taking a comebacker to the thigh while on the mound. He briefly remained in the contest, suggesting the injury isn't serious. This report confirms that, but it will still be worth ensuring he is back in the lineup for Friday's game.
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Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Tending to bruised thigh
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Ohtani was diagnosed with a right thigh contusion after being hit by a comebacker during Wednesday's 8-3 loss to the Rockies, Manny Randhawa of MLB.com reports.
Ohtani was hit by an Orlando Arcia comebacker in the bottom of the fourth inning, but he was able to stay in the game and finish out the frame. He then took his next at-bat as the Dodgers' designated hitter in the top of the fifth, but Alex Call pinch-hit for Ohtani in the top of the eighth with the Dodgers trailing 6-1. Manager Dave Roberts said after the game that Ohtani will get a scheduled day off Thursday, and the hope is Ohtani will be ready to serve as a DH in Friday's series opener against the Padres. Ohtani isn't expected to require any further testing on his injured thigh, and he doesn't appear to be at risk of missing his next turn through the rotation either.
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Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Replaced by pinch hitter
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Ohtani was removed from Wednesday's game against the Rockies in the top of the eighth inning after he was hit in the leg by a comebacker while pitching earlier in the contest, Manny Randhawa of MLB.com reports.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Ohtani was hit in the leg by a comebacker off the bat of Orlando Arcia. The training staff came out to check on Ohtani, but he stayed in the game to finish out the inning on the mound. Ohtani stayed in the dugout for an extended period of time prior to his plate appearance in the top of the fifth and was eventually pulled for a pinch hitter in the eighth with the Dodgers trailing 6-1. Manager Dave Roberts may provide an update after the game, but Ohtani should be viewed as day-to-day for now. Los Angeles wraps up the series with Colorado on Thursday, but Ohtani had already been expected to sit out that game for rest purposes before he made his early exit Wednesday.
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Expected to get rest day Thursday
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Ohtani will start as a pitcher and designated hitter in Wednesday's game against the Rockies but is expected to be out of the lineup for Thursday's series finale at Coors Field, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Ohtani hasn't been given a rest day so far this season, though he did miss two contests in April while on the paternity list. The decision doesn't seem to have anything to do with the All-Star's performance at the plate -- he's reached base safely in 17 straight contests and has slashed .381/.506/.746 with six home runs, 10 RBI, 20 runs, four stolen bases and a 16:21 BB:K during that span. Rather, manager Dave Roberts may just want to make sure Ohtani doesn't wear down in the dog days of the summer, especially as the two-way star continues to pitch deeper into games when he takes the mound. Per Ardaya, the plan is for Ohtani to go five frames in his start Wednesday in Colorado. That evening game is followed by a day game Thursday, which also likely played into the decision to give Ohtani a breather. Will Smith is expected to get a day off his feet behind the plate and serve as the team's DH on Thursday.
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Should go five innings Wednesday
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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed that Ohtani will make his next start as a pitcher Wednesday versus the Rockies at Coors Field and will be targeted for five innings, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Through his first nine starts as a pitcher coming back from September 2023 Tommy John surgery, Ohtani has turned in a stellar 3.47 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 32:5 K:BB across 23.1 innings, but because he hasn't worked at least five frames in any outing, he has yet to qualify for a win. Assuming he's able to avoid a blowup at Coors Field and reaches the five-inning benchmark, Ohtani should have a good chance at coming away with his first win of the season if he's able to exit the game with the Dodgers in the lead. Ohtani will continue to serve as the Dodgers' designated hitter Wednesday, though Roberts is contemplating giving the two-way superstar a breather for a day game in Thursday's series finale.
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Pitches into fifth inning Wednesday
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Ohtani allowed four runs on five hits and no walks while striking out seven batters over 4.1 innings in a no-decision against the Angels on Wednesday. He also went 1-for-4 with a triple, a run and a walk as a hitter.
Ohtani took the mound for the first time in his career against the Angels, with whom he played his first six big-league campaigns. The two-way star again showed flashes of brilliance on the bump, racking up 14 whiffs and seven punchouts while throwing 50 of 80 pitches for strikes. The pitch count itself was noteworthy -- It was by far his highest this season, exceeding the 54 pitches he threw against St. Louis in his previous outing. Wednesday also marked the first time Ohtani has pitched into the fifth frame this year, though he may have run out of gas late, as the final three batters he faced got a hit against him, culminating in a two-run double off the bat of Zach Neto. While that marred Ohtani's final line, the bigger picture is that he would have been allowed to finish five frames had the Angels not strung together the trio of hits to end his night. With that in mind, Ohtani seems to be at the point where he'll be allowed to pitch deep enough into games to qualify for wins, which should further boost his already robust fantasy appeal.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani will be limited to pitching four innings in his next start Wednesday against the Angels in Anaheim, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.
The Dodgers are continuing to have Ohtani get stretched out incrementally as a pitcher since he made his team debut on the mound June 16 after completing his recovery from his second career Tommy John surgery, which he underwent in September 2023. Though he's already made eight starts as a pitcher and has delivered excellent ratios (2.37 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 25:5 K:BB), he's tossed just 19 innings in total and has yet to work deep enough into any of those outings to qualify for a win. Ohtani won't be in the mix for a win Wednesday since he'll be limited to four innings for a second outing in a row in addition to serving as the Dodgers' designated hitter, but assuming he comes out of the appearance feeling well physically, he should be ready to make a five-inning start when his turn in the rotation comes up again next week.
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