As a report hints the Los Angeles Dodgers will be without Shohei Ohtani as a starting pitcher for the remainder of the 2026 MLB season, manager Dave Roberts didn’t sugarcoat his thoughts. In fact, he all but confirmed the obvious.
“Shohei Ohtani is not officially ruled out from pitching, ‘but we can all do the math,’ Roberts said,” as reported by The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya. Ohtani is dealing with injuries to his knee, neck and biceps, so it’s easy to see why having him on the mound could do Los Angeles more harm than good in the home stretch of the MLB campaign.
Roberts’ statement allows Dodgers fans to hold on to a sliver of hope, but it doesn’t look like Ohtani will pitch again this year, and fans may not want him to do so, either. After all, there’s a reason the Boys in Blue went after Tarik Skubal and boast a rotation that is the envy of the rest of the league.
All that matters now is getting Ohtani back at the plate as soon and as healthy as possible. Someone else can take care of the mound, and Los Angeles has no shortage of elite options in its rotation.
Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Ohtani could be back soon
While the latest report on Ohtani put the Dodgers in a tough injured-list dilemma, it seems he won’t miss much more time. Before long, he will be back, as Roberts has now revealed.
“If all goes well [on Sunday], Dave Roberts said Shohei Ohtani will be in there [on the Dodgers’ lineup on Monday],” Ardaya reported on his X account.
The Los Angeles Dodgers will host the Cincinnati Reds on Monday, Sept. 7, and it appears Ohtani, who is considered day-to-day, could return to action in the series opener. Serving as a designated hitter, Ohtani could get key at-bats while not taking many re-injury risks.
Ohtani’s batting stats in 2026
Although what makes Ohtani such a magical and unique phenom in MLB is his two-way ability, he can still put on a show when focusing on one side of the ball. So far in the 2026 MLB season, Ohtani has played 129 games (only pitched in 14) and has recorded 89 runs, 139 hits, 30 home runs, 80 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. Moreover, he has a .279 batting average and a .906 OPS.
