Dave Roberts Regrets How Dodgers Handled Shohei Ohtani Injury Situation

Ohtani played once in the span of a week before going on the IL.

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) gestures in the dugout with manager Dave Roberts (30) before a game against the Cincinnati Reds at Dodger Stadium on Sept. 7, 2026. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Shohei Ohtani has played once in the last seven days, going 0-for-3 as the Los Angeles Dodgers' designated hitter on Monday against the Cincinnati Reds.

The Dodgers held out hope that that the confluence of nagging injuries (neck, biceps, knee, according to manager Dave Roberts) would abate by not asking him to pitch or play the field.

Instead, the Dodgers will bite the bullet and place Ohtani on the injured list.

Before the Dodgers beat the Cincinnati Reds 14-1 on Wednesday, Roberts said Ohtani had not "totally recovered" from Monday's game and "didn't feel great" after a swing.

“Talking to the training staff, it’s more the thought of, ‘Let’s build him up slowly,'” Roberts said on Tuesday. “So I think a day here or there is not the worst thing, to make sure overall that his body feels as close to 100% as possible.”

In the meantime, the Dodgers had Ohtani available off the bench as a pinch hitter — a useful weapon in close games.

Since Aug. 8, when Ohtani was cleared to resume throwing in a futile attempt to get back on the mound, he hit .198 with four home runs, 10 RBIs and an OPS of .689 across 24 games.

After Wednesday's game, Roberts conceded the Dodgers should have given Ohtani an IL break earlier.

“I think if we look right now, here today, I would love to go back and put him on the IL [last week],” Roberts said on Wednesday. “But I did feel at that moment in time, we all felt that giving him four days was sufficient. He was agreeable. [We got] him out there on Monday with the hope that he would be able to play tonight.”

The setback will allow the Dodgers to get a look at top prospect Josue De Paula, who will make the leap from Double-A before Friday's series opener in Miami.

Without knowing the severity of Ohtani's various injuries, it's impossible to know whether a prompt recovery was realistic.

“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.”

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