Shohei Ohtani, MLB’s biggest superstar, is on the injured list for the first time since joining the Dodgers in late 2023, bringing new questions about the club’s pursuit of a third consecutive World Series title.
After missing six of the last seven games, the club placed Ohtani on the 15-day injured list late Wednesday and recalled top prospect Josue De Paula from Double-A Tulsa to take his roster spot. Ohtani, a four-time MVP and the league’s top jersey seller, has been battling nagging pain in his left knee and right biceps.
Those maladies have prevented Ohtani from pitching in a game since early July, and blunted his impact as a two-way phenom. More recently, Ohtani has also struggled at the plate, and he has battled just .198 with 34 strikeouts since Aug. 8.
“It’s the right thing to do,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “We tried to kick the can as much as we could.”
Ohtani is eligible to be reinstated on Sept. 23, and will have, at most, five regular-season games before the postseason begins. The Ohtani move also arrived just a day after the Yankees reinstated captain Aaron Judge, perhaps the only true rival to Ohtani among MLB superstars, after a 99-day absence.
