Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani was removed from Friday night’s game against the San Diego Padres during the seventh inning due to tightness in his right bicep.
While the team secured a 4-3 comeback victory, the focus shifted quickly to the health of their two-way phenom as he prepares for the upcoming All-Star break.
A precautionary move
Ohtani, who started on the mound and pitched six innings, was replaced by Miguel Rojas in the batting order for the remainder of the game. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed that the decision to pull Ohtani was strictly a safety measure.
“It was precautionary, just kind of tightened on him on the bicep,” Roberts explained to reporters. “He’s not going to (designated hit) tomorrow, so we’ll give him a day to fully recover.”
Familiar territory for the star
The 31-year-old athlete indicated he is not overly worried about the injury, noting that he experienced a similar sensation a couple of months ago that resolved quickly.
“It’s the same location that I felt a couple months ago,” Ohtani said through a translator. It went away pretty relatively quickly, so I expect that to happen again.”
Ohtani admitted he only felt the discomfort while swinging the bat during his final at-bat rather than during his pitching performance.
All-Star status in question
Looking ahead, the injury casts doubt on Ohtani’s availability to pitch in the upcoming All-Star Game. While he is already confirmed to start as the National League’s designated hitter, his pitching schedule has been adjusted by the team to manage his workload.
When asked about the likelihood of Ohtani taking the mound during the Midsummer Classic, manager Dave Roberts noted, “I haven’t formally said it but if you just kind of do the math, it would be hard to imagine. But I don’t have to make that decision quite yet.”
