After returning to the lineup for the first time in nearly a week, the Los Angeles Dodgers will once again be without Shohei Ohtani.
Fresh off returning from a four-game absence due to a left knee and a right biceps injury, Ohtani will not be in the Dodgers’ starting lineup Tuesday night when they play the second game of their four-game series against the Cincinnati Reds. Ohtani went 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts during Monday night’s 6-3 win over the Reds.
Despite manager Dave Roberts admitting after Monday’s game that Ohtani felt good coming out of that game, Los Angeles opted to sit their superstar, who has dealt with lingering injuries over the past couple of months.
Ohtani has been nursing his knee injury since July, keeping him out of the starting rotation and the All-Star Game. The Dodgers have floated the possibility of shutting Ohtani down for the season as a starter. Now his right biceps injury appears to be affecting his hitting, too.
Over his last 24 games, the 32-year-old has hit a measly .198 (19-for-96) with four home runs, 10 RBI, a .690 OPS and an alarming 34 strikeouts. Overall, Ohtani is slashing a respectable .277/.380/.522 with 30 home runs, 80 RBI and an OPS of .902 across 134 games.
Now the hope is that Ohtani can get healthy in time for the postseason and help the Dodgers win their third straight World Series.
Despite Ohtani’s injuries, the Dodgers still maintain a comfortable 10.5-game lead in the NL West and have won seven out of their last 10 games, including their last five.
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