Dodgers Don't Know When Shohei Ohtani Suffered Knee Injury

Shohei Ohtani left Thursday's game with a knee injury.

Jun 11, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) runs on a hit and run against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the fourth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers played against the Chicago White Sox on Friday without two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani as he dealt with a knee injury.

Ohtani left the team's game on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Pirates early due to knee inflammation in what was a concerning development. However, nobody seems to know how or when Ohtani suffered the injury.

Manager Dave Roberts weighed in on the injury to Ohtani on Friday, revealing he wasn't sure when it happened.

“We don’t know, he doesn’t know,” Roberts said. “I asked him if it was during the pitching, was it when he was hitting, when he was trying to steal a base? And there was no one incident. So I don’t know. I think that’s maybe a good thing.”

While Ohtani missed Friday's game, he's back in the lineup on Saturday, which is a great sign for the Dodgers. On Friday, Roberts said it was "not an IL situation" — and he was right.

“It’s something that I think we can manage. Not an IL situation,” Roberts said. “Just seeing him [Friday], he feels fine-ish. But just giving him an extra day is the smart thing to do.”

After a slow start to the season at the plate, Ohtani has finally started to pick things up offensively. On the season, Ohtani has hit .305 with 13 home runs and 40 runs batted in, while posting an OPS of .964.

While his offensive numbers have slowly come together, his time on the mound this season has been incredible. Until his previous outing, Ohtani's ERA had been under 1.00 all year, with him putting together one of the best starts in MLB history.

Ohtani has been vying for the National League Cy Young award this season, but he does have some tough competition, even with his impressive numbers. On the mound, Ohtani has registered an ERA of 1.06 over 67.2 innings of work.

Roberts envisions Ohtani making his next start on the mound despite the knee issue.

“I expect him to make his [pitching] start on Wednesday, until I hear otherwise,” Roberts said.

The Dodgers mustered just two runs on Friday without Ohtani atop the lineup. They'll look to get a spark from their two-way star on Saturday as they aim to tie the series at one game apiece.

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