The Los Angeles Dodgers are sitting Shohei Ohtani after manager Dave Roberts said he would be returning.
Ohtani is dealing with knee, biceps, and neck injuries, all of which have come from wear and tear from two-way play.
The Japanese star missed Tuesday, September 8th’s game after returning Monday from four straight days off, last Thursday through Sunday.
In total, Ohtani has now missed six of his last seven games, with the hope of getting him healthy again.
“Ohtani came out of yesterday well, but talking to training staff, it’s more of the thought of, ‘Let’s build him up slowly,’” Roberts told the media on Wednesday, including Dodgers Nation.
“For us, it’s not about just tonight. It’s about, ‘What can we do to get him to be optimal as we get into the postseason?’ So I think that a day here or there is not the worst thing to make sure that his body overall feels as close to 100 percent as possible.”
Ohtani is 6-for-49 with 21 strikeouts over his last 13 games since August 19th, while not driving in a run.
What choice do the Dodgers have with Shohei Ohtani?
The Dodgers are facing a conundrum. Either they rest Ohtani outright and hope he feels better, or play him through the pain and hope he can adjust.
Regardless, it is clear Ohtani will not get better by playing.
“As long as I’m playing in games, it’s not exactly the best way to recover and heal,” Ohtani said.
“Of course, the best mode of recovery is to completely not play. But right now I just want to make sure that I’m playing, playing well and just focusing on the now.”
If that continues to be the case, he may end up staying on the bench.
