Shohei Ohtani Opens with Leadoff Home Run After Being Removed from Pitching Rotation

Los Angeles – The Los Angeles Dodgers highlighted the stakes for the remainder of their season in a 1 p.m. email on Friday, subject line “Shohei Ohtani Update.”

Ohtani was taken out of his scheduled start on Friday and will not appear in the upcoming All-Star Game in Philadelphia. Instead, he will have his left knee drained and likely receive a corticosteroid injection, aiming to keep the bigger picture in focus as the team pursues a third straight World Series title.

Then Ohtani went out and underscored his value to the Dodgers by launching a leadoff homer on the third pitch he faced.

Shohei Ohtani leads things off for the @Dodgers with a homer to the opposite field pic.twitter.com/B4bNHy6euk

— MLB (@MLB) July 11, 2026

“Given where we stand and who he is as a player, it’s prudent to be extra cautious,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

Roberts minimized the concern, a issue Ohtani has been managing for a month and which required imaging in mid-June. If it were October, Ohtani would be on the mound. It isn’t, so Ohtani alerted the club on Thursday’s off day that his knee remained problematic. The team placed him on rest, expecting him to be in the lineup and in the rotation of pitchers after the break.

In simple terms: The Dodgers, holding a 14½‑game lead in the National League West entering Friday’s contest against the Arizona Diamondbacks, are virtually guaranteed a postseason spot. The primary question now is how they will keep Ohtani healthy as a two‑way player.

Thus Ohtani batted but did not pitch on Friday and still demonstrated his capability despite a sore knee, sending Eduardo Rodriguez’s 92.3‑mph fastball over the fence for a leadoff homer, his 21st of the season. Andy Pages followed with a back‑to‑back homer to erase an early Dodgers deficit.

The Dodgers are already playing a long‑term strategy with several stars. Their injured list includes Blake Snell, Edwin Díaz, Tyler Glasnow, Will Smith and Kiké Hernández, among others. Their substantial lead provides the cushion not to rush any of them back unless they are fully healthy.

Managing Ohtani in this manner is still novel for the club. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman called it “unprecedented” earlier this season; while Ohtani completed two‑way seasons with the Angels, he has not repeated that feat since 2023. He turned 32 on Sunday. After a second elbow surgery and a procedure on his non‑throwing shoulder since his last full two‑way year, the finish line is farther away than during his years in Anaheim, where he missed the postseason.

In 2023, he logged 1,130 plate appearances and faced 735 batters as a two‑way player. This season, entering Friday, he had accumulated 735 such appearances. The Dodgers had not skipped any of his starts before Friday, although they delayed his most recent start by two days to give him extra rest.

“I’ve become far more attentive to his workload,” Roberts said. “We can’t assume he can be a two‑way player who takes every at‑bat and pitches like a normal starter without consequence.”

Ohtani entered the season aiming to become the first Japanese-born pitcher to win a Cy Young Award. His performance on the mound began to slip around the same time his knee started to trouble him, as he has allowed 14 runs (12 earned) over his last 24 ⅓ innings. He believes his pitching mechanics contributed to the knee discomfort and has adjusted how he uses his landing leg.

“He’s been handling the knee situation very well,” Roberts said. Ohtani has been cautious, for example, not attempting a stolen base since May 22.

No specific incident triggered this week’s decision, though the All‑Star break offered a window to address the issue.

It is worth noting that this conversation extends beyond the knee. Ohtani also dealt with a blister on his right middle finger earlier in the season. Last week he left a scheduled start after feeling right biceps discomfort while swinging. Nothing has raised serious concerns about his long‑term ability to remain a two‑way player; he has posted a 1.79 ERA in 85 ⅔ innings as a pitcher and a .939 OPS as a hitter.

Nonetheless, reminders of the toll of his two‑way responsibilities persist.

Consequently, the discussion will continue even after he returns to the mound following the All‑Star break. With Ohtani, only one priority matters.

“Nothing will take precedence over being healthy for October,” Roberts said.

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