Dave Roberts pulled Shohei Ohtani as a precaution after the two-way star felt discomfort behind his knee.
The last thing the Los Angeles Dodgers want popping up at this stage in their campaign is an injury to their sensational two-way star Shohei Ohtani. But they had a recent scare they seem to not be too concerned over when Ohtani was replaced by a pinch hitter in the seventh inning of the team’s 8-6 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The reasoning was due to left knee inflammation, something that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts insists isn’t significant and is more of a precautionary measure.
Notably, Ohtani was productive in the contest and Roberts expects him to be good to go Friday against the Chicago White Sox as they kick off a three-game series. Ohtani felt something happen behind his knee during the game and alerted the trainers of his discomfort. It’s probably smart for them just not to risk things with a star like Ohtani.
Especially one who, despite the discomfort that eventually pulled him, hit his 13th homer of the season in the third inning along with a single and two walks, reaching base in all plate appearances.
To read more about LA’s win and hopeful little to no concern about Ohtani, here is the full story from Dodgers Roundtable writer Adrian Medina.
Ohtani is slashing .305/.421/.543 with 13 homers and 40 RBIs. He is pitching a 1.06 ERA with a 6-2 record and 73 strikeouts across 67.2 innings pitched.
In addition to Ohtani, pitcher Justin Wrobleski exited the contest after getting hit by a line drive in the fifth, causing a hamstring contusion that he doesn’t feel to be that significant, but is certainly something to monitor as the injuries add up despite the win.
The major question is whether Ohtani plays Friday, followed by whether Wrobleski joins him, as the Dodgers keep it up in the division title race.
