Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani will not be pitching on Wednesday, with the team making the decision to push his start back.
Ohtani was slated to go on Wednesday against the Athletics in Sacramento for what would be the closing leg of a very long road trip.
However, rather than use Ohtani against an American League foe, the Dodgers are saving him for the team’s second game of the homestand against divisional rivals, the San Diego Padres, on Friday.
Pushing back his start allows him to get some partial rest on Thursday before returning to full two-way action on Friday. Theoretically, it could allow him to get a higher pitch count.
Manager Dave Roberts has been upfront about the Dodgers needing to manage Ohtani carefully for the rest of the season after his left knee inflammation led to a one-game absence.
“I don’t think he’s 100 percent with his knee. But as far as his swing mechanics, where he’s at, he’s on balance. He’s 100 percent in the box,” Roberts said.
With him putting a lot of stress on his knee, especially when he pitches and lands on it more than 100 times, LA will be careful not to push him unless needed.
The Dodgers are a lock for the postseason at this point, and the real test is what the team can do in October.
Naturally, keeping Ohtani upright as a pitcher and hitter is the big picture goal for the Dodgers, and they will put any regular-season usage on the back burner if needed.
Who will catch for Shohei Ohtani in his next start?
With the date for his start now set, the biggest question is whether catcher Dalton Rushing will be behind the dish for Ohtani after their last outing together was a disaster.
Since then, Roberts has only said it is “likely” that Rushing will catch Ohtani, though there has been no confirmation yet.
In the aftermath, Rushing has taken responsibility for his actions.
“Look, he’s the greatest player to play this game,” Rushing said. “And he has every right to, one, call whatever he would like, and two, just attack the way that he wants to on the mound.
“Because no one on this earth can tell him that he doesn’t know what he’s doing out there. So we’re gonna move forward from it. I’ve talked to him a lot. Never in a million years could you ever have a bad thing to say about a guy like that.
“Never in a million years could you ever feel like a player like that is in the wrong. So it’s kind of up to me, as a young guy, to wear the situation, wear it on my chest, get over it, move past it, and make sure that we allow a guy like that to do what he wants to do.”
Even if Rushing does catch Ohtani, it will be interesting to see who is calling the pitches, at least initially.
Rushing started out calling the pitches, but Ohtani lost confidence in his catcher’s call and took over later on. Given that Ohtani believes in his teammates, it would be interesting to see whether he gives Rushing another chance.
