With the Los Angeles Dodgers already down starting pitchers Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow, Shohei Ohtani's extended absence from the mound could lead to the Dodgers exploring their options in the trade market.Snell and Glasnow are both working back from long-term injured list stints and Ohtani suffered a knee injury in mid-June and had a spotty schedule as a starter before being shut down as a pitcher after the All-Star break.With Ohtani gone, the Dodgers have made it work with a six-man rotation consisting of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Emmet Sheehan, Eric Lauer, Justin Wrobleski, Roki Sasaki and a bullpen game. The Dodgers have gone 6-3 since the break, and have reason to feel encouraged considering their ability to tread water given the injuries to their three starters.However, the postseason is still looming, and the Dodgers clearly would like to have all three back come October. Snell is on the mend, having made his second rehab start in Triple-A Oklahoma City on Saturday. Glasnow is behind Snell in his recovery timeline, as he threw against live batters for the first time on Friday.Ohtani has been a question mark for the Dodgers, although Dodgers manager Dave Roberts affirmed that he expects Ohtani to get back to full health before the postseason.The Dodgers canceled a Saturday bullpen session for Ohtani after feeling that the two-way star did not recover well from his Wednesday bullpen."We expect him (Shohei) to be pitching; we expect Will Smith to be back... I don't think that our approach to the deadline is changed, given these last 3 weeks with Shohei."Dave Roberts addresses the media before the #Dodgers series finale against the Mets. pic.twitter.com/gFV1t6EDam— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) July 26, 2026Because of the Dodgers' injuries at starting pitcher, many are linking the team to prominent players who may become available by the Aug. 3 trade deadline. However, Roberts told reporters Sunday that Ohtani's injury would likely not have an effect on how the team moves in the trade market."I don't think so. I really don't," Roberts said of Ohtani's injury impacting the team's trade deadline plans. "I think that we expect him to be pitching. We expect Will Smith to be back. We expect Edwin [Díaz], Kiké [Hernández], all those guys."So, I don't think that our approach to the deadline is changed given these last three weeks with Shohei."The concerns about Ohtani don't stop with pitching, as the four-time MVP has gone 7-for-38 (.184) at the plate since the All-Star break."He's just not squaring the baseball up. I think the quality of contact since the break has gone down considerably," Roberts said before Sunday's game. "I wouldn't say it's chasing. I just think that there's a lot of balls that are just mishit. But I don't know the reason behind it."I see some aggressive swings. It's not a bat speed thing. I just think he's mishitting balls."Ohtani's strikeout rate has been an uncharacteristic 22% since the All-Star break and the 31-year-old has yet to hit a home run in nine games.While it's unclear if Ohtani's knee is what is affecting his hitting in addition to keeping him off the mound, it's clear that the superstar is struggling.However, if the team is truly confident that Ohtani will be healthy enough to perform as both a hitter and a pitcher in the postseason, it's possible the Dodgers don't take a big swing ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline.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