RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. The Los Angeles Dodgers reportedly have worries over Shohei Ohtani and his lingering knee soreness, but that's one of several injuries the two-time MLB MVP is facing.
On Tuesday night, the pitching and batting sensation revealed another injury he's been experiencing while playing for the Dodgers.
"My bicep's not 100%, and again, just similar issue with the knee," Ohtani said , via interpreter Will Ireton. "Do we consider pushing this? It is still July, so I think the conversation would be a little different if we're in August or September."
That new injury revelation from Ohtani comes after The Athletic's Katie Woo reported earlier this week about the team's "internal concern" over his ongoing knee soreness.
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He exited his team's June 11 game due to knee inflammation, and the soreness has lingered for over a month. Knee soreness prevented him from a bullpen session at Citi Field this past Saturday, as manager Dave Roberts nixed the plan.
"We are not going to move forward [with him throwing off a mound] until he feels 100% confident and we feel 100% confident that we should do it. He just doesn’t feel 100%. I think the last ‘pen that he had, there was a little bit of regression. We want to make sure that doesn’t happen again," Roberts said, per MLB .
Ohtani last pitched on July 3 against the San Diego Padres, striking out nine but also giving up seven hits, a home run, and three earned runs in six innings. The Dodgers collected a 4-3 win in that outing, but Ohtani also exited the game's batting lineup early due to right biceps tightening up during his swing.
Exclusively playing designated hitter in the lineup since then, he's currently tied for 12th in the league in home runs with 23, and his .291 batting average is seventh in the league. He smashed a leadoff home run in his team's 7-6 loss on Tuesday night to the Seattle Mariners.
The knee soreness may be affecting Ohtani's baserunning, another cause for concern as the Dodgers are considered top contenders for the World Series. And as valuable as he is as a hitter, the team likely wants as much of their bullpen available as possible for the playoffs.
Ohtani has started 14 games as a pitcher, throwing 95 strikeouts and achieving a 1.79 ERA with an 8-2 record.
He's obviously a major part of the Los Angeles Dodgers' rotation and their hopes of three-peating as champions. However, the team will also need to evaluate these injuries, as either could hinder him in the postseason or future seasons.
Still, they may be optimistic he could return to pitching to solidify their bullpen, which is also missing Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell due to injuries.
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