NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Shohei Ohtani won’t make his next scheduled start on the mound because of left knee irritation and isn’t expected back in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ rotation for a while.
The two-way superstar received a lubricant injection just before the All-Star break last week and against the Phillies.
Ohtani, however, still didn鈥檛 feel 100% while playing catch this weekend, so he and the Dodgers decided not to even test the knee with a bullpen session.
The four-time MVP hasn’t pitched since July 3, when he threw a season-high 110 pitches over six innings in a no-decision against San Diego. Now, it’s unclear when he’ll return to the mound.
鈥淚 would say that it鈥檚 going to be some time,鈥� Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday before his team split a day-night doubleheader with the New York Yankees. 鈥淚t’s not going to be a day-to-day thing.鈥�
Roberts reiterated that Ohtani feels no knee pain when hitting. The slugger went 2 for 5 with two RBIs and a run during Sunday, and was back in the leadoff spot as the designated hitter for the nightcap.
鈥淲e just want to continue to give it the best chance to kind of get in a good spot,鈥� Roberts said. 鈥淎s he said, as we feel, it鈥檚 the pitching and the torque on landing on that leg. That kind of gets it upset. So I think that hitting doesn鈥檛 do that. So I think that for us, we鈥檙e trying to give it as much time as possible.鈥�
Ohtani went 1 for 4 with an infield single in the nightcap and struck out with two runners aboard in the eighth inning of He also threw in the outfield between games and ended a long day at Yankee Stadium feeling fine.
鈥淥verall, I think a good day for Shohei,鈥� Roberts said.
The two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers have the best record in the majors at 63-37 and an 11 1/2-game lead in the NL West. Roberts indicated that’s playing into the team’s approach with Ohtani, who last Tuesday in Philadelphia to treat and rest his balky knee.
The right-hander has been dealing with the ailment for more than a month. He on June 11 because of inflammation in the knee.
鈥淚 think for us, it鈥檚 more like we鈥檝e done many times over, erring on the side of caution,鈥� Roberts explained. 鈥滱 lot of it is where we鈥檙e at and how we put ourselves in a good spot in the sense of, could he probably do it? Sure. But right now the benefits don鈥檛 seem to outweigh the cost of this time in the season. So I think that we still have plenty of time to kind of get him in a good spot.鈥�
Roberts said he’s sure Ohtani will return to the mound this year.
“If it鈥檚 two weeks or three weeks then that鈥檚 kind of why we鈥檙e trying to do this, so we don鈥檛 have to worry about it throughout the end of the season,鈥� Roberts said.
Emmet Sheehan had been expected to start during the Yankees series, but his next outing was pushed back to Monday night in Philadelphia.
Los Angeles is off Thursday this week and Monday next week, providing some short-term flexibility in the rotation while left-hander Blake Snell works his way back from an injury.
Snell, sidelined since his season debut on May 9 because of loose bodies in his left elbow, made a rehab start Saturday for Triple-A Oklahoma City and threw 32 pitches in 1 1/3 innings. He鈥檚 expected to pitch again Friday and will need to get up to about five innings and 75 pitches in the minors before returning to the big league rotation, Roberts said.
鈥淚 think that once we moved Emmet, the rotation can keep going forward without Shohei for the time being. I can鈥檛 speak for how long that鈥檚 going to be,鈥� Roberts said.
鈥淗e was on the schedule when we broke for the All-Star break and then it was more of the training staff talking to him about, `Hey, coming out of the break, how does Wednesday look? How do you feel? If you don鈥檛 feel 100%, we have the opportunity to kick the can,'” Roberts added. “I think it鈥檚 more driven by the organization saying, hey, if you鈥檙e not 100% right, we don鈥檛 have to do this.鈥�
Ohtani is batting .290 with 22 homers, 60 RBIs and a .938 OPS. He is 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA and 95 strikeouts in 85 2/3 innings over 14 starts on the mound and has won his past six decisions.
鈥淲hen he does swing the bat, it鈥檚 the back knee versus the land knee where you鈥檙e kind of driving off of it to create torque when you pitch,鈥� Roberts said. “And so there鈥檚 no feeling of any sensation or any reason why we feel he’s got to stop hitting.鈥�
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AP freelance writer Larry Fleisher contributed to this report.
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