LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers kicked the can too far down the road with Shohei Ohtani, and will now get a compromised version of their four-time MVP whenever he returns from the injured list.His knee, biceps and neck issues have dragged on long enough that a stint on the IL is finally coming, manager Dave Roberts said, months after Ohtani first noted some discomfort. It was time.“The smart thing, probably, to do is to just put him on the IL,” Roberts said.This is now how any of this was supposed to play out for the reigning back-to-back World Series champions.The organization has fielded questions for months about whether it would make sense to shut Ohtani down entirely. Now it’s no longer a choice. Roberts acknowledged Wednesday that Ohtani will not be 100 percent as a hitter when he’s back.Should the Dodgers have handled this differently?“Anyone can do that, and say, ‘What could you have done better or different?’” Roberts said this week. “Absolutely. That’s something going forward we’re gonna look at, absolutely. But, it’s certainly not a blame game thing. It’s learning from what happened and getting better.”Is Shohei Ohtani really a 'sit' in fantasy?The Dodgers have been keen to trust Ohtani’s word about how he’s feeling. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman acknowledged at the start of the season that their first year of full two-way Ohtani (and Ohtani’s first full two-way season since 2023) would bring “unprecedented” challenges. The ensuing months have been a stress test on how the organization could handle it.Ohtani last pitched on July 3, having spent the prior month pitching through discomfort in his left knee. That knee, which required a “lubricant” injection during the All-Star break, did not hold up as the Dodgers tried ramping him up on two occasions as a pitcher in the second half. Pitching is now clearly off the table. His right biceps caused discomfort off and on throughout that period as a hitter, and the pain traveled up toward his neck area.Still, Ohtani never went on the IL until now. It took until last week for the team to sit Ohtani for an extended period; he missed four games, his longest time out of the lineup as a Dodger. Before this season, he’d only missed one game due to a physical ailment since signing with L.A., sitting on May 12, 2024, against the San Diego Padres with back tightness.The Dodgers tried to bring back Ohtani on Monday against the Cincinnati Reds. He went hitless, and now has just six hits in his last 49 at-bats.General manager Brandon Gomes claimed this week that Ohtani’s struggles were not tied to his health, which does not line up with how Ohtani’s swing has looked. In Monday’s game, Ohtani again showed signs of discomfort and told reporters that he is not 100 percent, and won’t be by year’s end.He was also asked how important it was for him to communicate how he was feeling to the organization.“It’s hard to say now with the season still going on,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. “It’s something that I’m going to reflect back on during the offseason. I’m just making sure that I’m focusing on the now and finishing strong.”Dodgers manager Dave Roberts acknowledged the team may have been better served placing Ohtani on the IL last week. (Michael Reaves / Getty Images)Ohtani did not communicate that he was feeling additional discomfort that night, Roberts said. The manager said he learned Ohtani “didn’t feel great” Tuesday night, after a game in which Ohtani was ready to hit off the bench if necessary.Once again, it came down to communication between the two parties.“We did (emphasize communication),” Roberts said Wednesday when that disconnect was pointed out. “That’s right. We did.”The Dodgers, at the least, probably should have placed Ohtani on the injured list to begin with a week ago when they shut him down, Roberts acknowledged.“I think if we look right now, here today, I would love to go back and put him on the IL,” Roberts said. “But I did feel at that moment in time, we all felt that giving him four days was sufficient.”