That wasn’t nothing.
As much as Dodgers manager Dave Roberts tried to downplay whatever Shohei Ohtani was feeling in the back of his left knee on Thursday night, it was serious enough to force him out of a two-run game in the seventh inning.
Shohei Ohtani, on the verge of arguably the greatest season of all time, was pulled from Thursday’s victory with left knee inflammation. Getty ImagesAnd as unrelated as this might be to the condition in that same knee that required an operation seven years ago, it was serious enough to keep Ohtani out of the lineup the next day for the opener of a three-game series against the White Sox.
Consider the situation a reminder – or a warning.
A window is closing.
Once this window closes, it’s not opening again – not for Ohtani, and, very likely, not for anyone else either.
Be mindful of that before you casually say something about how Ohtani should scale back his two-way responsibilities to ensure he’ll enter the postseason at full strength.
Because never again might he, or anyone else, have the chance to have the kind of season he is on his way to having this year.
He leads the National League in OPS. When he reaches the required number of innings to be a qualified pitcher, he will be leading the entire majors in earned-run average.
By the end of the year, Ohtani could win a Cy Young Award to go along with the most valuable player award and World Series he now seems to win every season.
In a time when once-in-a-generation or once-in-a-half-generation players are liberally described as once-in-a-lifetime players, the one actual once-in-a-lifetime player is positioned to have a once-in-a-lifetime season.
Good on the Dodgers for recognizing that. Good on them for continuing to provide him with the platform to do what no player has done before.
Ohtani is hitting .305 this season with 13 home runs, 40 RBIs and a career-high .421 on-base percentage. Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesSpeaking to reporters on Friday at Rate Field in Chicago, Roberts said the recent setback wouldn’t drastically change how the team uses him.
“I don’t think it’s gonna affect [that],” Roberts said. “Maybe in the short-term, depending on how he feels.”
Roberts said he expected Ohtani to return to the lineup this weekend. He said he expected him to make his scheduled start as a pitcher on Wednesday at Dodger Stadium against the Tampa Bay Rays.
At this point, the decision to continue assisting Ohtani’s two-way efforts isn’t just about what the player wants. This is also about what the team needs.
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Ohtani has been the best starting pitcher in a rotation that is without a couple of All-Stars in Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell. He’s been the best hitter in a lineup that is not only missing Will Smith and Teoscar Hernandez but also waiting for Kyle Tucker and Mookie Betts to break out of their season-long slumps.
Which isn’t to say the Dodgers haven’t tried to be careful with Ohtani.
Only once in his career has he pitched as much as he is now, and that was in 2022 with the Angels.
He was 28 then. He will be 32 next month.
On the mound, Ohtani is 6-2 with with career bests in ERA (1.02) and WHIP (0.84). Getty ImagesRoberts described the swelling Ohtani experienced in his left knee as a result of “normal wear and tear.”
That was only a guess, of course.
There is no blueprint for what Ohtani is doing, outside of maybe that season with the Angels in which he was four years younger. As Roberts said earlier this season, the Dodgers have to “read and react” in dealing with Ohtani.
Roberts tried taking him out of the offensive lineup on days he pitched, but Ohtani has put an end to that by homering in three of the last four games in which he was on the mound.
Up to now, Dodgers management has struck the right balance between allowing Ohtani to chase goals that were previously unimaginable and preventing him from breaking himself.
Every team for which Ohtani has played has shouldered that responsibility, from Hanamaki Higashi High School to Nippon-Ham Fighters to the Angels.
The stakes are even higher for the Dodgers. They are in charge of his greatest, and almost certainly, last shot at redefining what’s possible in baseball.
