Shohei Ohtani Out of Dodgers Lineup Again After One-Game Return

Shohei Ohtani’s return to the Dodgers lineup lasted one game before another day of rest.

Ohtani is not in Los Angeles’ starting lineup Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds, meaning the Dodgers superstar will now miss his fifth game in six days as the club continues carefully managing his health.

The development comes one day after Ohtani returned from a four-game absence and started at designated hitter in Monday’s 6-3 victory over Cincinnati.

He went 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts in his first game since Sept. 2.

Importantly, the Dodgers have not announced a new injury.

Ohtani has been dealing with lingering discomfort involving his left knee, right biceps and neck, the same collection of physical issues that led Los Angeles to give him four consecutive games off last week.

Roberts Had Already Warned Ohtani Might Not Play Every Day

Ohtani being out Tuesday should not necessarily be viewed as an unexpected setback.

Before Monday’s game, manager Dave Roberts made clear that simply returning to the lineup did not mean Ohtani was immediately ready to resume his normal everyday workload.

Roberts said he was particularly interested in seeing how Ohtani’s body responded to Monday’s game before determining his availability for Tuesday and the days that followed.

“I am very curious to see how he comes out of tonight,” Roberts said before Monday’s game.

Tuesday’s absence appears consistent with that cautious approach.

Until the Dodgers provide another medical update, it would be premature to say Ohtani aggravated one of his existing injuries Monday.

The confirmed development is simply that he is sitting again while Los Angeles continues monitoring him.

Dodgers Clearly Prioritizing Ohtani’s Health

The Dodgers have already changed the way they are handling Ohtani down the stretch.

His throwing program has been put on hold, with Roberts saying Monday that the club wants Ohtani focused on hitting, running and keeping his legs healthy rather than attempting to continue building back toward another pitching appearance.

Ohtani himself has since acknowledged that he “most likely” will not pitch again this season, although neither he nor Roberts has formally closed the door completely on a return to the mound.

That makes his health as a hitter even more important.

The Dodgers have a deep starting rotation.

They do not have another Shohei Ohtani to place at the top of their postseason lineup.

If occasional days off in September give him a better chance of being physically right in October, Los Angeles has every reason to be conservative.

Ohtani Hasn't Looked Like Himself Recently

The concern goes beyond simply keeping Ohtani available.

His production had declined noticeably before the initial four-game break.

Ohtani went 2-for-23 with 11 strikeouts over the six games before his absence, and his Sept. 2 performance against St. Louis was particularly concerning. He struck out four times while visibly appearing uncomfortable during his final plate appearance.

Monday did not produce an immediate offensive turnaround.

He reached base once but remained hitless.

That doesn't mean one game after several days off should carry much weight. It does reinforce why the Dodgers want to evaluate him carefully rather than automatically writing his name into the lineup every night.

No Reason to Overstate Tuesday's Absence

This is a situation where the wording matters.

Ohtani has not been placed on the injured list.

The Dodgers have not announced another injury.

And there has been no confirmation that something happened during Monday’s game that forced him back out of the lineup.

For now, Los Angeles is doing exactly what Roberts suggested it might do: evaluate Ohtani from one game to the next and prioritize getting him physically right for the stretch run.

The unusual part is simply how rarely Ohtani rests.

After playing Monday, he is now set to miss five of the Dodgers’ last six games.

With October approaching, the message from Los Angeles is becoming increasingly clear.

The Dodgers would rather sacrifice a few Ohtani at-bats now than risk having a compromised version of their biggest star when the postseason begins.