Shohei Ohtani has been battling a minor knee injury for the last week. That isn't why the two-way star is not in the Dodgers' lineup for their series opener against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday.When the lineup was finally released a couple hours before the game at Dodger Stadium, Ryan Ward was the Dodgers' designated hitter. Ohtani is going on paternity leave, according to multiple reports. Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic was first to post the news on Twitter/X.Source: Shohei Ohtani is going on paternity leave.— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) June 20, 2026According to Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group, the Dodgers aren't placing Ohtani on the paternity list. That effectively means he will cost the team a roster spot while he's away. It's unclear how long he'll be away, but Ohtani is expected back at some point this weekend, according to the team.Shohei Ohtani is away from the team on paternity. He is expected to be back at some point this weekend.— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 20, 2026Players are able to remain on the paternity list for 1 to 3 days under MLB rules. There are a variety of reasons why Ohtani might not be going on the list. In the simplest scenario, the birth of a child caught Ohtani by surprise, and he was unable to notify the team before they could get a replacement player in town. It's also possible the birth already took place during Thursday's off-day, and he anticipated being back in time for Friday's game — a scenario that would present no need for him to be place on the paternity list.Sometimes, manager Dave Roberts or a player will disclose when a baby is soon to arrive, and might cause the player to be away from the team. In the case of the famously private Ohtani, there was no prior warning.Already a father of one — he and his wife Mamiko welcomed a daughter to their family last year — Ohtani could soon be a father of two.Ohtani was the Dodgers' starting pitcher on Wednesday, and was the winning pitcher in a 5-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. He allowed four runs in six innings, an effort that saw his ERA rise from 1.06 to 1.47.This story will be updated (refresh the page for the fully updated article)...Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on X/Twitter and Facebook for the latest news.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow