The Los Angeles Dodgers announced that Shohei Ohtani will not make his scheduled pitching start on Friday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks.The two-way star will still be a designated hitter this weekend, but will then miss All-Star festivities next week as he seeks treatment on his knee."Los Angeles Dodger Shohei Ohtani will not make his scheduled start on the mound this evening against the Arizona Diamondbacks due to continued irritation in his left knee," the team announced."He will serve as the designated hitter the rest of the weekend, but following the series against the Diamondbacks he will have some interventions on his knee to put him in the best position for the second half of the season."Unfortunately, due to these events, he will not be able to travel to Philadelphia and participate in the 2026 All-Star Game."Ohtani left a game in mid-June with knee inflammation and has been playing through it ever since. The Dodgers have carefully managed Ohtani, but it hasn't forced him to miss any significant time to this point.Friday night's pitching start will be the first one of the year that Ohtani misses this season. However, the Dodgers know it's important to ensure he's healthy come October, which is why he'll miss All-Star festivities as he seeks treatment to get his knee fully healed.Ohtani was the leading vote getter in the National League for the All-Star Game, and was set to be the starting designated hitter. Manager Dave Roberts said he expected Ohtani to take one or two at-bats in the game, but said he was unlikely to pitch.Now, Ohtani won't be involved in any capacity.Ohtani the pitcher finished the first half of the season with a record of 8-2 and a 1.79 ERA across 14 starts (85.2 innings). After allowing just five earned runs over his first 10 starts, he's allowed 12 earned runs across his last four.As a hitter, Ohtani is slashing .290/.405/.534 with 20 home runs, 56 RBIs and an OPS of .939. Since suffering the knee injury, the Dodgers have had him stop stealing bases, but he hasn't had any other restrictions.Who Will Pitch for the Dodgers on Friday Night?With Ohtani ruled out as a pitcher, the Dodgers will go with a bullpen game on Friday night. They had an off day on Thursday and play three games this weekend before the All-Star break, meaning everyone should be rested and available.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