Dodgers’ Dave Roberts Provides Shohei Ohtani Update After Hit By Pitch, Early Exit

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani exited Tuesday’s game against the Colorado Rockies in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Ohtani was hit by a pitch on the hand in the fourth inning, but stayed in the game to run the bases and seemed to be totally fine.

With the Dodgers up 9-1 in the fifth inning, it appeared to be a precautionary move to take out Ohtani with him scheduled to pitch on Wednesday.

Here's a look at where Shohei Ohtani was hit on the right hand in the bottom of the 4th. He didn't seem overly bothered by it and stayed in the game after being checked on by a trainer. pic.twitter.com/OZlrsBDuCB
— Sonja Chen (@SonjaMChen) May 27, 2026

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed that was the case after Tuesday’s game. He said Ohtani will make his scheduled start on Wednesday, dispelling any concern about an injury to the two-way star.

“It got him on the pad, but I think it flipped his pinky a little bit," Roberts said. "But I think we’re in a good spot.”

Roberts added: “He is gonna start tomorrow [on the mound]."

Ohtani is in the midst of an incredible year as a pitcher, allowing just four earned runs over 49 innings for a 0.73 ERA. He has 54 strikeouts to 13 walks and is firmly in the mix for the National League Cy Young award.

Ohtani is in the 90th percentile or better in terms of expected ERA, expected batting average against, fastball velocity and barrel percentage. He's in the 88th percentile in whiff percentage and the 87th percentile in strikeout percentage, per Baseball Savant.

Roberts said before Tuesday’s game that Ohtani was going to hit and pitch on Wednesday for the second consecutive week. He doesn't know if that will be the case any longer.

"I haven’t decided yet if he’s gonna hit," Roberts said after the game.

Ohtani didn’t hit on three straight pitching days before hitting last week against the San Diego Padres. He crushed a leadoff home run before firing five shutout innings.

Shohei Ohtani in 2026:

5 IP, 0 ER, 4 K vs SD
7 IP, 0 ER, 8 K vs SF (didn't hit)
7 IP, 2 ER, 8 K vs HOU (didn’t hit)
6 IP, 1 ER, 9 K vs MIA (didn't hit)
6 IP, 0 ER, 7 K vs SF
6 IP, 1 ER, 10 K vs NYM (didn't hit)
6 IP, 0 ER, 2 K vs TOR
6 IP, 0 ER, 6 K vs CLE

He has a 0.73 ERA. pic.twitter.com/5eGC3q0cwp
— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) May 21, 2026

Offensively, Ohtani is heating up as of late. On the year, he's hitting .270 with eight home runs, 29 runs batted in and an OPS of .874. Over the last 15 games, he's hitting .321 with an OPS of 1.034.

With the Dodgers off on Thursday, Ohtani will have a full rest day after Wednesday's start. Roberts said the team will look to get Ohtani extra rest as often as they can as they navigate a full season with him as a two-way player.

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