Dodgers Considering Rest for Shohei Ohtani as Physical Issues Affect His Swing
The Los Angeles Dodgers’ concern surrounding Shohei Ohtani has changed.
For weeks, the biggest question was whether Ohtani could get healthy enough to pitch again before October.
Now the Dodgers have a more immediate concern:
Is his attempt to stay on the field while dealing with multiple physical issues beginning to compromise the version of Ohtani they need most — the hitter?
Manager Dave Roberts acknowledged after Wednesday night’s 8-6 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals that Ohtani did not look physically right during an 0-for-4 performance in which he struck out four times and walked once.
The most concerning moment came during Ohtani’s final plate appearance in the 10th inning.
Ohtani repeatedly appeared to flex or shake his right arm and winced during the at-bat. Roberts noticed it too.
The Dodgers manager said afterward that Ohtani’s swing was “not close to optimal” and that he planned to meet with the four-time MVP and the medical staff Thursday to determine how best to proceed.
Rest — possibly more than one day — is now firmly under consideration.
And with October less than a month away, protecting Ohtani the hitter has become the Dodgers’ priority.
Roberts Says Ohtani Hasn't Looked Like Himself
Wednesday was not simply one bad game in Roberts’ eyes.
Ohtani’s four-strikeout performance appeared to confirm something the manager had been noticing for a while.
Roberts described Wednesday as essentially the point where the problem became impossible to ignore, saying he had noticed over the previous couple of weeks that Ohtani had not looked like his normal self.
That is significant.
Until recently, the Dodgers had drawn an important distinction between Ohtani’s pitching health and his hitting.
Los Angeles had acknowledged that he was not physically 100 percent while attempting to resume pitching. But the organization had generally maintained that those issues were not preventing him from functioning normally as a designated hitter.
Wednesday changed that assessment.
Roberts said Ohtani’s swings clearly did not resemble the ones the Dodgers are accustomed to seeing.
The manager believes there may be some physical compensation occurring, which is why the club now wants a clearer picture of exactly how Ohtani feels.
Ohtani Visibly Winces After Fourth Strikeout
The visual that set off the latest concern came in extra innings.
Facing Cardinals closer Riley O’Brien in the bottom of the 10th, Ohtani struggled through an eight-pitch at-bat before striking out for the fourth time.
During the sequence, the Dodgers star appeared uncomfortable.
He shook out his right arm.
He flexed.
He winced.
Roberts said afterward he saw the same thing viewers did and would speak with Ohtani before deciding whether he should remain in the lineup.
That does not mean the Dodgers have diagnosed Ohtani with a new right-arm injury.
That distinction matters.
Ohtani has already been dealing with a lingering right biceps issue, along with soreness in his left knee. Those existing ailments have complicated his attempted pitching return for weeks. MLB reports the knee has been the primary reason he has not pitched since July 3, while the biceps issue has affected him at different points as both a hitter and pitcher.
As of Thursday morning, the Dodgers had not announced a new diagnosis stemming from Wednesday’s game.
The story is therefore about physical compromise and possible rest, not a newly confirmed injury.
Rest Is Now a Real Possibility
Ohtani is famously reluctant to leave the lineup.
That is part of what makes this situation difficult.
He is on pace to appear in nearly every Dodgers game for a third consecutive season and has rarely spent time on the injured list during his Major League career.
Roberts respects that mentality.
But there is a point where playing through discomfort stops helping the team.
That is the conversation the Dodgers are now having.
MLB reported Thursday morning that a day off — or potentially multiple days — is under consideration. Roberts said the club has to determine whether getting Ohtani off his feet and allowing him to regain strength could move him closer to full effectiveness before the postseason.
The Dodgers do not have an obvious formula.
Would one day help?
Two?
Would a longer break make a meaningful difference?
Roberts acknowledged the uncertainty.
But he also made clear that continuing to run Ohtani out there simply because Ohtani wants to play is not automatically the right answer if his physical condition is preventing him from being himself.
An Injured-List Stint Appears Unlikely
One possibility that Roberts currently views as less likely is placing Ohtani on the injured list.
He did not completely rule it out.
But when asked after Wednesday’s loss, Roberts characterized an IL move as very unlikely.
That leaves the Dodgers with a potentially awkward middle ground.
Ohtani may be healthy enough that a formal IL stint is unnecessary.
At the same time, he may not be healthy enough to perform at the standard the Dodgers need.
That makes selective rest a logical option.
The club could sit him Thursday.
It could give him more than one day.
It could attempt to manage his workload while continuing to monitor the knee, biceps and overall physical fatigue.
As of Thursday morning, the Dodgers had not publicly announced whether Ohtani would be in the lineup for the series finale against St. Louis.
The Numbers Since Ohtani Resumed Throwing Are Concerning
The timing of Ohtani’s offensive downturn is impossible to completely ignore.
Ohtani restarted his throwing program on Aug. 8 as the Dodgers attempted to build him back toward another pitching appearance.
Since then, he is batting just .204, going 19-for-93 with a .704 OPS and 32 strikeouts.
That is dramatically below the offensive standard Ohtani has established.
His recent numbers are even more pronounced.
MLB’s current player page lists Ohtani at 4-for-28 over his last seven games, good for a .143 average. He has no home runs or RBIs during that span and has struck out 12 times.
That does not prove his throwing program caused the slump.
The Dodgers themselves have been careful not to make that claim.
MLB reports that the club does not believe there is established direct causation between Ohtani resuming his throwing work and his declining production at the plate.
But the Dodgers also understand the obvious reality of asking one player to prepare for two jobs.
There is a physical cost.
There is a mental cost.
And when the player is already managing knee soreness, a biceps issue and general physical wear, those demands matter.
The Priority Has Shifted Toward Ohtani the Hitter
This is perhaps the most important development.
The Dodgers want Ohtani to pitch.
They understand how valuable another elite arm could be in October.
Before his pitching shutdown, Ohtani was 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA in 14 starts.
A healthy Ohtani capable of helping on both sides would obviously make Los Angeles more dangerous.
But the Dodgers no longer need to force the issue.
Their rotation has become one of the strongest areas of the roster.
Tarik Skubal is available.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto remains a frontline starter.
Blake Snell has been excellent since returning.
Tyler Glasnow is healthy again and coming off a dominant performance in Detroit.
That changes the calculation.
Ohtani pitching would be a luxury.
Ohtani hitting at an MVP level is much closer to a necessity.
Roberts has already said the Dodgers cannot allow the throwing program to compromise Ohtani offensively.
MLB’s latest report makes that organizational priority explicit: the club’s focus now is making sure Ohtani’s value as a hitter is not sacrificed in the attempt to get him back on the mound.
Wednesday Showed How Much the Dodgers Need His Bat
The Cardinals game provided an unfortunate example.
The Dodgers went 1-for-18 with runners in scoring position during their 8-6 extra-inning loss.
Freddie Freeman reached base five times.
Mookie Betts homered.
Teoscar Hernández collected three hits.
Los Angeles repeatedly created scoring opportunities.
Ohtani, however, could not provide the impact the Dodgers normally expect from the top of the order.
He struck out four times for the first time this season.
His fourth strikeout was followed by the visible discomfort that drew Roberts’ attention.
The Dodgers can survive an occasional bad game from Ohtani.
Every star has them.
What concerns Roberts is that Wednesday no longer looked like a normal slump.
It looked physical.
This Is Bigger Than the Pitching Question
Until now, most conversations surrounding Ohtani’s health centered on the mound.
When will he throw another bullpen?
Can he work one inning?
Can the Dodgers build him to five innings by October?
Could he work as an opener?
Could he pitch in relief?
Those questions suddenly feel secondary.
The Dodgers first need to get Ohtani comfortable enough to swing normally.
If that requires sitting for a day, the decision is relatively simple.
If it requires several days, Los Angeles may have to make a more difficult choice.
And if the issues persist, the pitching comeback becomes increasingly difficult to justify.
Ohtani has not pitched since July 3.
His planned return last Sunday in Detroit was canceled after a shortened bullpen session in which Roberts later acknowledged that the two-way star was not physically 100 percent.
The pitching timeline has remained indefinite since then.
Dodgers Have Not Shut Ohtani Down as a Pitcher
This is another area where the wording matters.
The Dodgers have not announced that Ohtani will not pitch again this season.
Roberts has acknowledged that such an outcome is possible.
But it remains one of several options, not a decision.
The Dodgers still have enough time on the calendar to see how Ohtani responds physically before making a definitive call.
That is why a headline saying “Dodgers Shut Down Shohei Ohtani From Pitching” would currently be inaccurate.
The real development is more immediate:
Los Angeles is considering resting Ohtani from hitting because the physical issues that had primarily complicated his pitching return now appear to be affecting his swing.
That is the story.
October Changes the Risk Calculation
There is less than a month remaining in the regular season.
That makes every Dodgers game important, particularly with Los Angeles fighting for postseason seeding.
But the organization also has to consider what matters most.
Would it rather have Ohtani in the lineup Thursday at 75 or 80 percent?
Or give him a day — perhaps several — if there is a realistic chance that rest helps him become much closer to his normal self for the postseason?
The answer becomes easier when looking at the calendar.
The Dodgers are not fighting simply to reach October.
They are trying to win a third consecutive World Series.
For that to happen, they need the hitter capable of taking over postseason games.
They need the Ohtani who controls the strike zone.
The Ohtani who drives pitches into the seats.
The Ohtani opponents build entire pitching plans around.
Right now, Roberts does not believe that is the player he is seeing.
The Dodgers May Finally Have to Protect Ohtani From Himself
Ohtani’s desire to play every day is part of what makes him extraordinary.
It can also create a difficult responsibility for a manager.
Roberts knows Ohtani wants to be in the lineup whenever he is physically capable of standing in the batter’s box.
But September is not about attendance.
It is about getting the Dodgers’ best players ready for October.
If Ohtani’s determination to play through discomfort is preventing him from performing at his normal level, Roberts may have to make the decision Ohtani would rather avoid.
Give him a day.
Maybe give him several.
Let the body recover.
Then reassess everything else.
Including pitching.
Because the Dodgers’ priorities have become much clearer over the past week.
Getting Shohei Ohtani back on the mound would be valuable.
Getting Shohei Ohtani back to being Shohei Ohtani at the plate is more important.
And after what Roberts saw Wednesday night, Los Angeles may finally be ready to give its superstar something he almost never asks for:
rest.