The Los Angeles Dodgers have placed Shohei Ohtani’s pitching role on hold indefinitely due to a left knee injury, though he will continue to serve as a designated hitter.
NEW YORK — The Los Angeles Dodgers have placed Shohei Ohtani’s pitching role on hold indefinitely due to a left knee injury, though he will continue to serve as a designated hitter.
The club expects other starters, including Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow, to return from their own injuries. Manager Dave Roberts indicated that relying on Ohtani to pitch at this moment is not essential.
‘We aim to have him ready for the postseason,’ Roberts said. ‘That is the plan, and we will not rush his return.’
Ohtani remains prolific at the plate, having recorded a double, a single and two RBIs in the Dodgers’ 8‑2 victory over the Yankees in the opening game of a day‑night doubleheader at Yankee Stadium. Prior to the nightcap, he was batting .291 with 22 home runs, 58 RBIs and an OPS of .944.
These statistics reflect his continued excellence as an MVP‑caliber hitter, even while not pitching.
‘That’s what makes him truly remarkable,’ Roberts added.
Ohtani was slated to start on the mound for the Dodgers in Philadelphia on Wednesday, but that will not occur; he requires additional time for the inflammation to subside.
‘Given where we stand, the priority is to position him optimally for a future pitching role,’ Roberts said. ‘He certainly could pitch, but the benefits do not currently outweigh the risks, and we have ample time to prepare him properly.’
He received a knee injection during the All‑Star break in an attempt to resolve the inflammation. Although the team anticipated that this, combined with a reduced workload, would enable a return to pitching, Ohtani experienced pain during a catch this weekend, prompting the decision to halt his pitching activities.
‘Honestly, a lot of it is where we’re at and how we’ve put ourselves in a good spot,’ Roberts said. ‘He certainly could pitch, but the benefits do not currently outweigh the cost at this time of the season, and we have ample time to prepare him properly.’
Ohtani Has Been A Unicorn As A Pro Player
The injury occurred during a pitching start on June 11 in Pittsburgh. Ohtani has continued to experience discomfort while delivering pitches, though he has not reported pain while hitting. He has adjusted his landing mechanics on his front leg to reduce torque, a modification that does not affect his performance as a batter.
He was scratched from his scheduled pitching start on July 10 prior to the All‑Star break and did not appear in the All‑Star Game despite being overwhelmingly elected by fans.
Prior to the injury, Ohtani was a strong contender for his first National League Cy Young Award while also pursuing a fourth consecutive league MVP. On the mound, he compiled an 8‑2 record with a 1.79 ERA and 85 strikeouts across 85 ⅔ innings over 14 starts. For context, the Dodgers’ team ERA stands at 3.50, ranking third in the majors, nearly two runs higher than Ohtani’s figure.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, also in the Cy Young conversation, is 10‑6 with a 2.78 ERA after delivering a rare complete-game performance against the Yankees in the season opener, allowing two runs on four hits. This marked his first regular‑season complete game, although he had recorded one each in the previous year’s League Championship Series and World Series.
‘He’s pitched well in these situations,’ Roberts said. ‘He thrives in high‑pressure games.’
Ohtani May Not Win The NL Cy Young Award
While his chances for the Cy Young Award have diminished, Ohtani remains the favorite to capture his third MVP award since signing a 10‑year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers in 2023. His first MVP came during his final season with the Angels, and his second arrived in his debut year with the Dodgers while recovering from a second Tommy John surgery.
During the 2024 season, Ohtani became the first Major League player to achieve a 50‑50 season with 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases.
He spent much of the early 2025 campaign rehabilitating from that surgery to return to pitching. At the time, questions arose about the wisdom of such a comeback. Baseball legend Barry Bonds remarked, “If you’re DH‑ing and doing what you’re doing, why fix something that ain’t broken? Pitching again? That’s a lot of concentration. He might get hurt again. They’re asking a lot.”
Ohtani returned to the mound on June 16, 2025, throwing a single inning and gradually building to six innings across his final 11 regular‑season starts, positioning himself for a historic postseason.
On October 17, in Game 4 of the NLCS against the Brewers, Ohtani hit three home runs in his first three at‑bats and pitched into the seventh inning, allowing no runs on two hits while striking out 10. This performance was unprecedented in postseason history.
Since then, Ohtani has maintained dominance, posting a 31‑inning scoreless streak that bridged the end of 2025 and early April 2025. Through his first eight starts, he posted an ERA of 0.79, fueling speculation that he could add a Cy Young to his MVP honors.
Now, as predicted by Bonds, Ohtani is nursing another injury. The primary question is not the Cy Young race, but the timing and feasibility of his return to pitching. Roberts acknowledged uncertainty about the timeline.
‘I don’t know how long this will last,’ he said. ‘Really.’
