LOS ANGELES — One day after returning, Shohei Ohtani is out of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ starting lineup again as he and the organization continue to attempt to balance his health limitations.He will be available off the bench and is slated to return to the lineup Wednesday, manager Dave Roberts said.“Ohtani came out of yesterday well, but talking to training staff, it’s more of the thought of, ‘Let’s build him up slowly,’” Roberts explained Tuesday afternoon.Ohtani went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and a walk in the Dodgers’ 6-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Monday. He had missed the previous four games trying to manage persistent soreness, most notably in his left knee and right biceps. Roberts was hopeful Monday that Ohtani could return to his regular role, but he reiterated that he would base Ohtani’s playing time on how he recovers after each game. Roberts stopped short of describing Ohtani’s status as day-to-day, but said load management will be a priority.“I don’t want to say it’s day-to-day, but I am very curious to see how he comes out of tonight to then make the decision for tomorrow and ensuing days,” Roberts said before Monday’s game.
“I think we got through tonight,” Roberts said after the game. “For me, I’ll just see how he feels tomorrow.”On Monday night, Ohtani spoke with reporters for the first time in three weeks. He admitted his physical condition was still an issue but said he believed he would be able to manage it through the rest of the year.“It’s hard to really feel 100 percent at any time in the season,” Ohtani said through team interpreter Will Ireton. “So I wouldn’t say I’m there. But the concerns are the arm and the (knee).”Ohtani will probably not pitch again this year, a decision he called “disappointing” but one he understood given his current overall physical condition.“I think the thing that I was more focused on was making sure that the pitching wouldn’t cause the worst scenario, which was for me to not be able to play at all.”He expressed confidence he’d be able to manage his discomfort, and he didn’t believe his performance would take a significant hit.“I’ve been training a little bit more, doing just supplementary things to be able to make sure that I’m in a good place. I hope to continue to do that to make sure that I’m up to shape,” Ohtani said. “I should have enough experience to be able to address any kinks or injuries or anything like that with the swing. I’m going to use this as an opportunity to add on to the experience that I’ve had previously and be able to address it regardless.”Since Aug. 19, Ohtani is 6-for-49 with 21 strikeouts over his past 13 games. He has not driven in a run in that span.The Dodgers hope that by playing him semi-regularly and mixing in consistent rest, Ohtani can recapture his feel at the plate while staying healthy enough to be a force come October.“For us, it’s not about just tonight,” Roberts said. “It’s about, ‘What can we do to get him to be optimal as we get into the postseason?’ So I think that a day here or there is not the worst thing to make sure that his body overall feels as close to 100 percent as possible.”
