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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Set for four-inning start
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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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Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Power keeps surging
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Ohtani went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, two walks and a second run scored in Tuesday's 7-6 extra-inning loss to the Angels.
Ohtani has homered in four straight games, his second streak of at least that length since the All-Star break. He's on an 11-game hitting streak to begin August as well, going 18-for-41 (.439) with 11 walks so far this month. The superstar has 43 homers this season, just two behind Seattle's Cal Raleigh (45) for the major-league lead. Ohtani has also batted .284 with a 1.020 OPS, 79 RBI, 114 runs scored and 17 stolen bases through 118 contests. He is expected to start on the mound versus his former team Wednesday.
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Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Clubs homer No. 42
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Ohtani went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk Monday in a loss to the Angels.
The Dodgers failed to score through seven innings, but Ohtani finally broke the seal with a 389-foot solo shot in the eighth. The long ball put the slugger back into a tie for the NL homer lead with Kyle Schwarber, who hit his 42nd home run earlier in the day. Ohtani has gone deep in three straight contests and in four of his past five games. He's in the midst of a 10-game hitting streak during which he's batting .447 (17-for-38) with seven extra-base hits, five RBI, 12 runs and four stolen bases.
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Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Stays hot Sunday
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Ohtani went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, two walks and a stolen base in Sunday's 5-4 loss to the Blue Jays.
Ohtani tied the game at 1-1 with his leadoff homer in the bottom of the first inning. He still hasn't been held hitless in August, going 16-for-35 (.457) with three homers, four RBI and four steals during his nine-game hitting streak to begin the month. He had multiple hits in all three games against Toronto. He's up to a .284/.388/.620 slash line with 41 long balls, 77 RBI, 111 runs scored and 17 steals through 116 games this season.
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Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Crushes 40th homer
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Ohtani went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, an additional run scored and a walk in Saturday's 9-1 win over the Blue Jays.
Ohtani walloped a Chris Bassitt sinker to straightaway center in the fifth inning for his 40th home run of the season. The two-way star has now reached the 40-homer mark in three straight seasons and in four of his past five campaigns. While he won't approach his historic 50-50 performance from 2024 with only 16 steals so far, matching or surpassing last year's 54 homers remains within reach.
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Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Racks up three hits in win
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Ohtani went 3-for-5 with a double and two runs scored in Friday's 5-1 win over the Blue Jays.
Ohtani has picked up an extra-base hit in four of his last five games. He's hit safely in all seven of his contests in August, going 12-for-27 (.444) to begin the month hot after posting a modest .204/.321/.505 slash line -- with nine homers and 19 RBI -- over 24 games in July. The two-way superstar is up to a .280/.383/.609 slash line, 39 home runs, 75 RBI, 108 runs scored, 16 stolen bases, 16 doubles and seven triples across 114 contests this season.
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Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Homers, punches out eight
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Ohtani did not factor into the decision Wednesday against the Cardinals, allowing a run on two hits and no walks while striking out eight over four innings. At the plate, he went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer.
While the Dodgers would ultimately come up short against the Cardinals, it was a vintage performance from Ohtani, who threw a season-high 54 pitches over four innings. After giving up a lone run in the top of the third inning, Ohtani put the Dodgers back in front with a two-run shot off Matthew Liberatore in the bottom half of the frame, which was his 39th homer this year and the 1,000th hit of his eight-year MLB career. While he'll likely be limited in a pitching capacity during the regular season, Ohtani's posted a strong 2.37 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 25:5 K:BB across 19 innings. At the plate, he's slashing .276/.381/.606 with 106 runs scored, 75 RBI and 16 stolen bases in 112 games.
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Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Cleared for next pitching start
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Ohtani is listed as the Dodgers' starting pitcher for Wednesday's game against the Cardinals in Los Angeles, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
In his seventh start of the season as a pitcher last Wednesday in Cincinnati, Ohtani was expected to cover four innings but was lifted after three frames due to lower-body cramps. Ohtani was able to remain in that game as the Dodgers' designated hitter, and he proceeded to serve as the DH in the team's ensuing three contests. The cramping problem apparently didn't affect Ohtani's between-starts throwing program either, so he'll be ready to return to the mound Wednesday as planned on six days' rest. The Dodgers aren't expected to use a designated bulk reliever behind Ohtani, though the right-hander will likely be capped at four innings as the team continues to stretch him back out slowly coming off his second career Tommy John surgery in September 2023.
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Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Swipes two bags from atop lineup
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Ohtani went 2-for-3 with a double, a run, two walks and two stolen bases in a 3-0 win against the Rays on Sunday.
After Mookie Betts batted leadoff in each of the Dodgers' previous six contests, Ohtani was moved back to the top of the batting order Sunday. The two-way star served as a catalyst from that spot, reaching base four times. Ohtani also stole two bases, marking his first multi-theft game of the campaign. The slugger swiped a career-best 59 bags last year, but he's been less active on the basepaths this season with 15 steals in 19 attempts. That may be due in part to his resumption of pitching duties -- since Ohtani made his season debut on the mound June 16, he's posted just four thefts over 40 contests.
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Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Managing cramps
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Ohtani was removed from his start as a pitcher in Wednesday's game versus Cincinnati due to lower-body cramps, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports. He was able to remain in the contest as the Dodgers' designated hitter.
The Dodgers took Ohtani off the mound after he demonstrated some command issues during the fourth inning of Wednesday's contest, but his removal had nothing to do with his arm. He was also able to stay in the game as the Dodgers' DH despite battling cramps, so the two-way player doesn't seem to be at risk of missing time. Ohtani covered three innings Wednesday and allowed two earned runs on five hits and two walks while striking out four batters.
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Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Exits with trainer
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Ohtani was removed as a pitcher from Wednesday's game against the Reds with an apparent injury, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
Ohtani pitched into the fourth inning for the first time this season, but he was visited on the mound by a trainer after throwing six consecutive balls -- two of which were wild pitches. He was able to remain in the game as Los Angeles' designated hitter, so although it isn't immediately clear what was bothering the two-way superstar on the mound, it doesn't seem like the Dodgers will have to worry about losing his bat.
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Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Next mound start set for Wednesday
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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that Ohtani will make his next start as a pitcher Wednesday against the Reds in Cincinnati, Ken Powtak of the Associated Press reports. "Shohei is going to go on Wednesday and then he'll probably pitch the following Wednesday, so that probably lends itself to the six-man," Roberts said, in reference to his plan to expand the Los Angeles rotation from five starters.
The two-way phenom has made six starts since getting cleared for his Dodgers debut as a pitcher on June 16. After first completing two one-inning starts, Ohtani followed with a pair of two-inning starts, then worked three innings apiece in his last two outings. Assuming Ohtani's usage pattern holds, he'll likely be in line to cover four innings Wednesday, though Roberts indicated that the Dodgers won't have a designated pitcher to piggyback the right-hander like they had in each of his previous six outings. That said, with Blake Snell (shoulder) potentially in line to return from the 60-day injured list later in the week to give the Dodgers seven starting pitchers, Emmet Sheehan could be moved to the bullpen and may be tasked with covering multiple innings behind Ohtani on Wednesday.
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Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Launches homer No. 38
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Ohtani went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a loss to the Red Sox on Saturday.
Ohtani began the game with a bang, smoking a 414-foot homer off star hurler Garrett Crochet in the first inning. That was the only time the two-way star managed to put the ball in play, however, as he struck out in his remaining three at-bats. Ohtani has been boom-or-bust of late -- he's homered six times over his past seven games but has also struck out 14 times during that stretch. That's been a season-long trend for the slugger -- he ranks second in MLB with 38 long balls but is also tied for sixth with 124 punchouts.
