The Dodgers Can't Decide What To Do With Shohei Ohtani, And It Might Cost Them

LOS ANGELES — Another day, another ominous turn in the Shohei Ohtani health saga. Knee and bicep issues have already downgraded the two-way sensation to a one-way slugger for the remainder of the year. For the time being, though, he is neither. Ohtani’s insistence on trying to play through aches and pains for the last three months — and the Dodgers’ unwillingness to shut him down and place him on the injured list before it got to this point — is now relegating the four-time MVP mostly to spectator status with the postseason just weeks away. On Wednesday, Ohtani was held out of the lineup for the sixth time in the Dodgers’ last seven games. And with only 16 games remaining in the regular season, he might finally require the IL stint that his team has spent months trying to avoid. The Dodgers plan to make that choice sometime in the next week. "Obviously, it's not ideal given that it would potentially be 15 days," Roberts said. "But I still stand by whatever is best for him is best for us." A week ago, Ohtani went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts in a game against the Cardinals and looked to be in obvious discomfort at the plate, shaking out his arm between his half-hearted swings. He was mired in a 6-for-46 stretch without a home run over his last 12 games at that point. Clearly, Ohtani’s injuries were causing him issues at the plate, despite what he was telling his team or what Dodgers officials were publicly acknowledging. The next day, Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes attempted to dismiss what was obvious to anyone who has watched Ohtani over the last few weeks. "I just think there's also just ebbs and flows of the season and what to attribute things to and what not to is just too hard to say," Gomes said. "We haven't had any indication that he's not feeling good enough physically to go out and play." Ohtani then sat out each of the next four games. The hope was the time off would help get Ohtani’s body in a place where he could bounce back as a hitter. He returned to the lineup on Monday and went 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts. The Dodgers then planned to give him Tuesday off and continue to sprinkle in off days the rest of the regular season to try to get him as right as possible before October. But Ohtani was expected to return to the starting lineup for Wednesday’s series finale against the Reds, so it was a surprise when his name wasn’t in the lineup again. "There was a swing Monday that he didn't feel great on," Roberts explained Wednesday afternoon. "He hasn't totally recovered from Monday. So, the thought is to give him today and then huddle up with him, the medical staff, and figure out what's the next steps. Clearly, communication between Ohtani and the Dodgers remains a work in progress. Roberts did not know about Ohtani’s setback the day after that painful swing. Ohtani swung in the cages on Tuesday and was expected to be available off the bench "in a big spot" that night before he reported his discomfort from the previous day’s game. The issue this time is with Ohtani’s arm, according to Roberts. "It's not really localized, and that's why when you see him a week ago shaking his arm, it's just the arm," Roberts said. "So, it's not specific to elbow or shoulder. It's just his bicep, arm, but it's not one specific thing." This is not where the Dodgers hoped to be as they ramp up for the playoffs, months after Ohtani first reported his knee and bicep pain. Ohtani has not pitched in a game since July 3, and every attempt to ramp back up since then has invited setbacks that have clearly impacted his performance at the plate. He is slashing .198/.294/.396 since Aug. 8, when he first started back up his throwing program. He is hitting .186 since Aug. 14, when he threw his first bullpen session in more than three weeks. Those sessions are now done. On Monday, after months of delaying the decision, Ohtani finally acknowledged that he would shift his focus strictly to hitting — the only logical choice at this point as he tries to find his way at the plate. The Dodgers still have not placed Ohtani on the IL at any point since he joined the team in 2024. They didn’t do it in June, when he first reported the knee pain. They didn’t do it in July, when he first reported the bicep issue while he was still dealing with knee pain, which required an injection over the All-Star break. They haven’t done it throughout a second half in which he has a pedestrian .246 batting average and .332 on-base percentage. "It really hasn’t even been something that we’ve discussed," Gomes claimed last Thursday. One week later, those discussions are now happening. "The concern is that after four days [off], to then take four at-bats and to feel something in an at-bat where we can't keep going forward, I think that's disappointing," Roberts said. "But that's kind of where we're at. And I think that we're of the mind of, give him today [off], and anything should be on the table as far as kind of what gets him to be the best version of himself in September." Because Ohtani played Monday, he would not be eligible to return until Sept. 23 should the Dodgers decide to put him on the IL. At that point, there would be less than a week left in the regular season for Ohtani to try to find his rhythm. In hindsight, Roberts wishes they would have handled that differently. "I think if we look right now, here today, I would love to go back and put him on the IL," Roberts acknowledged. "But I did feel at that moment in time, we all felt that giving him four days was sufficient." Though it wasn’t, Roberts still remains confident that Ohtani will still be back at some point this season. He just might not look the same. "Is he going to be 100% by the end of this season?" Roberts asked rhetorically. "No."