Before the start of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ series against the New York Yankees, manager Dave Roberts explained what kind of work Shohei Ohtani got on his left knee.
Ohtani has been suffering from left knee soreness and inflammation, dating back to the middle of June. He missed only one game due to the injury before returning to the lineup regularly.
However, Ohtani missed his last start as a pitcher against the Arizona Diamondbacks to give his knee some rest, and he also elected not to travel to Philadelphia for the All-Star Game.
After the last game of the D-Backs series on Sunday, Ohtani had work done on his knee, which was supposed to include draining it and a pain-relieving injection, per Roberts.
During the All-Star break, however, Roberts said that Ohtani was in fact not going to get an injection and simply drain it.
On Friday, the skipper clarified that Ohtani got a lubricant injection, rather than the knee draining.
What is Shohei Ohtani’s knee injury?
The left knee issues come from landing on it throughout a pitching start, over 100 times, once a week, on top of his hitting workload.
To give himself a chance to get right and pitch normally in the second half, Ohtani accepted the team’s advice and did not make his start before the break, something he is known for not wanting to do.
He wants to play both sides of the ball as much as possible, so while missing a start was not easy, it was seen as a necessary evil at this point.
Luckily, it looks like his upcoming bullpen session this weekend will go well.
Ohtani is slated to return as a pitcher for the Phillies series, spanning Monday to Wednesday, with Wednesday most likely the pitching start date.
Despite the confusion and disappointment of waiting this long to see him pitch again, Dodgers fans should expect the full Ohtani experience soon enough.
