Dodgers place Shohei Ohtani on injured list as health status fails to improve

For the last week, the Dodgers have tried to avoid the possibility.

But on Wednesday, the team finally reached a tipping point with Shohei Ohtani’s ongoing left knee and right arm injuries, with manager Dave Roberts announcing he will go on the injured list after he missed six of the club’s last seven games.

The move –– which also prompted the Dodgers to call up top prospect Josue De Paula –– comes as the latest troubling sign about the state of Ohtani’s health, which has faced mounting questions over the last several days.

“It’s the right thing to do,” Roberts said. “We tried to kick the can as much as we could.”

Ohtani initially developed his knee problem in early June, but continued in his full-time two-way role for several weeks afterward.

Then, during a two-way start on July 3, he was removed from the game early as a hitter because of not only knee pain but also right biceps discomfort.

Ohtani has not pitched in a game since then, enduring repeated setbacks in his throwing progression that have dashed his chances of returning to the mound this year.

He had, however, continued to serve as the Dodgers’ everyday designated hitter, initially looking unaffected by his physical ailments as he made a push for his fifth career MVP Award.

Alas, circumstances started to change over the last several weeks. 

In 12 games from Aug. 17 to Sept. 2, Ohtani went 6-for-46 with no home runs, 19 strikeouts and a .494 OPS (the worst mark in a continuous dozen-game stretch in his MLB career). Last Wednesday, he went 0-for-4 with four punchouts for the first time this season.

More alarming that night was how, in his final at-bat that night, the 32-year-old was grimacing after each swing and shaking out his right arm.

That prompted the team to hold Ohtani out of the lineup for four-straight games over the rest of the week, before he returned for an 0-for-3 performance with a walk on Monday.

Initially, the team had hoped Ohtani could remain a regular presence in the lineup moving forward –– albeit with more off days mixed in down the stretch.

That’s why they didn’t place the slugger on the IL initially, not wanting to lose him for the minimum 15-day spell.

Alas, Ohtani missed Tuesday’s game with what Roberts said was “load management,” then was out again Wednesday following another setback physically.

During Monday night’s game, Ohtani felt renewed discomfort in his right arm after a swing, according to Roberts.

“Ultimately, after not playing him for four days and then playing him and not being able to play a day after an off day, it was more just really huddling up and saying, ‘Hey, how are you going to feel on Friday, how are you going to feel on Saturday?’” Roberts said. “Talking to the doctors and training staff, there was not much certainty that he’d be in a much better place.”

Thus, for his first time with the Dodgers, Ohtani is going on the IL.

The Dodgers will be able to backdate the stint to Tuesday. But, that still means Ohtani won’t be eligible to return until Sept. 23, when there will be just five games remaining in the regular season.

“I think [he was] probably disappointed in the sense that he wants to play,” Roberts said of Ohtani’s reaction to the decision. “But I think he realizes it’s the best thing for him, to give him the best chance to be the player he wants to be — we want him to be — in October.”

Indeed, the Dodgers are not only hoping Ohtani’s IL stint will help him progress health-wise, but give him time to “slowly build [him] back up,” as Roberts put it, as he tries to rediscover his superstar swing.

Roberts said Ohtani would likely be shut down from swinging for “a couple days” before resuming live batting practice sessions, and was expected to be ready to return once he is eligible to be activated.

“I think that if it were a postseason game tomorrow, he would be in the lineup,” Roberts said. “Now you’re talking about two weeks, 14 days [of rest and recovery]. I feel that that’s substantial. He’ll be in a much better place than he was today.”

Roberts acknowledged that Ohtani probably won’t get to 100% during his time on the IL.

“But I do think that with this time that we’re taking now, he’ll be in an adequate spot to finish the season,” Roberts added.

Ohtani will not accompany the team on its upcoming road trip to Miami and Cincinnati next week. They can only hope that by the time they get back, he’ll look (and feel) more like his typical self.

“The most important thing is him being as healthy as possible, not compromising his swing,” Roberts said. “[We’ll] kind of bet on that.”