Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers have to navigate his recurring left knee issues, so he'll be out for a while.
The Los Angeles Dodgers and manager Dave Roberts have decided to pivot their plans regarding Shohei Ohtani.
According to Katie Woo of The Athletic, Roberts told the media that Ohtani would be scratched from his next slated start against the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday.
This decision stems from the cautiousness of the Dodgers and the unwillingness of Ohtani's left knee to respond to treatment. Roberts did not give a specific makeup date for the two-way player's next start.
Ohtani last took the mound on July 3.
"It's going to be some time," Roberts said to the media via Dodgers Nation. "It's not going to be a day-to-day thing."
Roberts: Ohtani will pitch in future
Roberts added that Ohtani will pitch sometime in the future, but it won't be any time soon.
This change of trajectory cancels out Roberts' original intended plans for Ohtani as the plan for him to pitch on Wednesday was confirmed on Friday.
There was even more optimism for Ohtani to make his Wednesday start with the extra four days of rest he had when he missed this year's All-Star Game in Philadelphia.
Ohtani had been scratched from his last start before the All-Star break in the series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Dodgers announced that he would miss his start altogether due to "continued irritation in his left knee" and receive injections in his left knee once the break came.
Instead of having the fluid drained from his knee, Ohtani received lubricant injected into his knee. The Dodgers and Roberts closely monitored Ohtani as he went through his regular pitching ramp-up. When the Dodgers' training staff checked up on Ohtani with the break winding down, he was still not 100%, according to Roberts.
Dodgers being cautious with Ohtani
"Could he pitch? Sure. But right now, the benefits just don’t seem to outweigh the cost at this time of the season," Roberts said to the media, according to Sonja Chen of MLB.com. "We still have plenty of time to get him to a good spot to then pitch."
So, what do the Dodgers do?
Roberts said that, despite the absence of Ohtani on the mound for the foreseeable future, they will continue to stick with their traditional six-man rotation.
For Sunday's doubleheader against the New York Yankees, the Dodgers will send out Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game One and have a bullpen game in the second game. Emmet Sheehan, who was the intended starter for Saturday's matchup, will pitch in the series opener against Philadelphia.
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