Shohei Ohtani still ‘not 100%’ and will not pitch Sunday against the Tigers
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DETROIT — Shohei Ohtani is not “100%” and will not start Sunday against the Detroit Tigers as the team had hoped, manager Dave Roberts revealed after the Dodgers’ 2-1 loss Saturday,
“Sho hasn’t come out of it well, the arm, the knee,” Roberts said. “And so if any pitcher was feeling like this, we wouldn’t run him out there.”
The Dodgers do not have a target date for Ohtani’s return to two-way duties, so Roberts said he wouldn’t necessarily consider this a “setback.”
“It hasn’t been 100%,” Roberts said. “And so you’re hoping that each day gets a little bit better and closer. Once we have to make a decision, which would be [Sunday], it just is not there.”
Ohtani hasn’t pitched since July 3, managing lingering inflammation and soreness in his left knee, primarily aggravated by pitching. But it’s not just his knee that’s ailing him, Roberts said after talking to the training staff. Ohtani’s sore biceps earlier in the year is part of the concern as well. Ohtani declined to comment through a team representative.
Ohtani threw a 20-pitch bullpen — shorter than his customary between-starts session — on Friday in hopes of being able to pitch the first inning Sunday.
Blake Snell gives up one run in six innings, but the Dodgers’ offense again fails to capitalize on scoring opportunities to fall for the fourth time in five games.
“The knee, the body, just throwing, pitching, not 100%,” Roberts said. “What percent it is, I don’t know the answer.”
With Ohtani serving as the designated hitter Sunday, right-hander Tyler Glasnow, who was scheduled to pitch Sunday either way, will start. Roberts said the Dodgers had not yet decided whether to shut down Ohtani from pitching for the time being or just delay his buildup.
“Let’s get back to L.A., let’s figure out where his body is at, and then go from there,” Roberts said. “… I just don’t think that putting a target or a date is of benefit to anyone.”
There is no plan to give Ohtani a break from hitting to address his ailments, Roberts said.
“If I heard at all that that was affecting his swing, his biceps or knee was bothering him [while hitting], I would absolutely be open to giving him a day off,” Roberts said. “But I haven’t heard otherwise.”
The Dodgers also have to consider the big picture while plotting out the next steps. The longer it takes for Ohtani to return to the mound, the fewer starts he’ll have to build upon before the postseason.
“I wouldn’t bet against Shohei,” Roberts said before the game Saturday. “But I still think that five innings to the end of the season is aggressive for anyone.”
It appears even more unlikely now.
That Ohtani’s issues have not been resolved raises the question of whether it makes sense for him to resume two-way duties this late in the year.
Roberts said the question is more when Ohtani will return to the mound.
“I just don’t see everything getting to 100% by the end of the season,” Roberts said. “But there’s a lot of pitchers that are not 100% and still viable. So again, it’s just not an exact science.”
If that holds true, the concern is twofold: how Ohtani’s health could affect his performance both on the mound and at the plate.
“Where we’re at right now with the pitching, the starting pitching certainly being a strength, his value offensively is hugely important, and so we can’t compromise that in any fashion,” Roberts said. “So, if throwing potentially cuts into that, that’s not worth the squeeze. So that’s something, for me, I’m very bullish on making sure we don’t compromise the hitting.”
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Ohtani entered Saturday with a .218 batting average since Aug. 8, the date when he resumed playing catch. But Roberts pushed back on the impulse to draw a line between Ohtani’s offensive dip and his work on the pitching side.
“It just hasn’t been a whole body of work on the throwing side,” Roberts said. “Honestly, for me, I think the pitch selection [at the plate] hasn’t been good.”
Ohtani’s feedback will continue to play a large role in the Dodgers’ decision-making.
“As the competitor, he wants to do both, and I respect it,” Roberts said. “But nothing I’m saying changes his identity as a two-way player.
“But I think in the moment, he still feels that there’s still an opportunity, and I’m not trying to say there isn’t. But I do think that at the end of the day, he’s very aware of our roster, strengths, weaknesses, and his value to the ballclub, and whatever that means.”
