Dodgers Announce Starting Pitchers for Yankees Series With Major Shohei Ohtani Decision

The Los Angeles Dodgers have announced their pitching probables for this weekend's series against the New York Yankees to kick off the second half of the season.

Two-way player Shohei Ohtani, who had his start before the All-Star break skipped, will not be pitching this weekend.

Instead, Roki Sasaki will pitch on Friday, Emmet Sheehan on Saturday and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Sunday.

Manager Dave Roberts said earlier this week that Ohtani was expected to be the designated hitter this weekend after undergoing a procedure on his knee to drain fluid.

However, it's now been announced he won't be pitching as he continues to recover from the knee issue.

The Dodgers announced their pitching probables for this weekend's series in New York against the Yankees:

Friday: RHP Roki Sasaki
Saturday: RHP Emmet Sheehan
Sunday: RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Shohei Ohtani will not pitch. Dave Roberts said he's expected to DH. pic.twitter.com/t0R1FkufiH
— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) July 16, 2026

Why Isn't Shohei Ohtani Pitching vs Yankees?

Roberts will speak to reporters ahead of Friday's game and provide the exact reason for Ohtani not pitching this weekend. However, it's fairly easy to decipher the reasoning behind the Dodgers' decision.

Firstly, the Dodgers want to get Ohtani as much rest from pitching as possible as he continues to recover from his knee injury. Ohtani has said his knee is impacted much more from pitching than hitting, which is why he was still the designated hitter in the final series before the break.

Secondly, the Dodgers prefer to have Ohtani's pitching starts lined up before off days when possible. Conveniently enough, the Dodgers play six straight games to kick off the second half before being off on Thursday, July 23.

That means the Dodgers can have Sasaki, Sheehan and Yamamoto pitch against the Yankees, and then have Justin Wrobleski and Eric Lauer pitch Monday and Tuesday against the Philadelphia Phillies, setting up Ohtani to pitch on Wednesday ahead of an off day.

Dodgers Pitching Probables vs Yankees

Friday, July 17: RHP Roki Sasaki

Sasaki is coming off a rollercoaster first half of the season that he deemed to be not good enough.

Sasaki had one dominant four-start stretch in which he showed signs of being the pitcher the Dodgers signed out of Japan two offseasons ago.

Aside from that, it was mostly struggles, as the 24-year-old went 3-5 with a 5.33 ERA across 16 starts, striking out 80 while walking 33 in 81 innings of work.

Saturday, July 18: RHP Emmet Sheehan

Sheehan, like Sasaki, had a struggle-filled first half, finishing with an ERA of 4.81 in 17 starts. He had 93 strikeouts to 26 walks over 82.1 innings, but did end on a bit of a high note.

Over his last three starts, Sheehan allowed a total of five runs (four earned) across 14.2 innings. He'll look to go deeper into games, as he hasn't completed six inning since June 1.

Sunday, July 19, RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Yamamoto earned his second consecutive All-Star honor this year after another dominant first half.

The reigning World Series MVP went 9-6 with a 2.85 ERA over 17 starts, striking out 106 across 110.1 innings of work.

While Yamamoto had a great first half, he finished it on a sour note, giving up a season-high six runs over six innings in his final start before the break against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

He'll look to flush that with a strong performance against the Yankees on Sunday Night Baseball.

How to Watch Dodgers vs Yankees July 17-19

First pitch for Friday's series opener is 4:05 p.m. PT/7:05 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on SportsNet LA and in the MLB app.

First pitch for Saturday's game is 5:08 p.m. PT/8:08 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on FOX.

First pitch for Sunday's series finale is 4:20 p.m. PT/7:20 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock.

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