Dodgers Injury Updates Before NLDS: Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Edgardo Henriquez

As the Los Angeles Dodgers prepare to embark on another October with sky-high expectations, there are a few stars who did not end the regular season at 100% health.

Superstars Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman, and flame-throwing relief pitcher Edgardo Henriquez, have perhaps the biggest question marks surrounding them heading into the National League Division Series.

Here's the latest updates on all three players.

Shohei Ohtani Injury Update

Ohtani has dealt with nagging knee and biceps injuries for the majority of the season. His knee eventually shut him down from pitching ahead of the All-Star break, and his biceps injury resulted in the minimum stay on the 15-day IL, returning for a lackluster (5-for-21) final five regular season games.

General manager Brandon Gomes spoke on a Tuesday Zoom call with the media and had an update on the four-time MVP, and how his swing has been looking amid a much-needed break while the wild-card round finishes up.

“Everything is feeling great physically," Gomes said of Ohtani. "The swings, once he came back, overall were in a good place. And using these five days to continue to get reps and feeling good into this series is really important. But feels like he's in a great spot."

Manager Dave Roberts appeared to feel the same about Ohtani, and even went as far as saying that the man who hit just .245 during the second half of the season will still have a stellar postseason.

"I feel confident that you're going to see the best version of Shohei of the last two months," Roberts said. "I know that's sort of a low bar given his injury, but I do think that he's as healthy as he's been in quite some time. And every day from the training staff, it keeps getting better. So yeah, No. 1, he'll be a threat being in the lineup, but I do think that the performance piece will be what we're hoping for."

Freddie Freeman Injury Update

Freeman is no stranger to playing through injury, and has recently been dealing with right knee tendinitis that manifested itself in the form of a .184 batting average in the final 20 games he played of 2026.

"My body feels good,” Freeman said Tuesday. “I think that’s the main thing. I feel like it’s in a good spot to be able to do the work and hopefully fix my swing and everything that’s been going on the last couple months.”

Freeman was asked to compare his current pain level to past postseasons. Fans remember his heroics in the 2024 World Series —where he would later take home MVP honors — thriving through the Fall Classic despite a sprained ankle and broken rib cartilage.

“A couple of Octobers ago was probably 100 times worse, ailment-wise,” Freeman said. “I truly feel good right now, physically. So it’s on me now to figure out the mechanics of the swing in the next five days, and I have all the confidence in myself that I will figure that out by Saturday.”

Edgardo Henriquez Injury Update

Henriquez put up a 2.85 ERA across 60 innings of work this season, averaging a 100.8 mph fastball (in the 100th percentile among active pitchers), until lower back discomfort landed him on the injured list last month. He was activated off the IL this week.

“He’s trending really well at this point,” Gomes said. “His last live BP went well. He’s responding positively after he throws and isn’t feeling any lingering discomfort. We’ve still got a few steps to go. But if that all goes well, then yeah, the expectation is he’ll be on the roster.”

Roberts also made sure to acknowledge how pivotal the off-week was for his fireballer. Due to an excellent track record (a career 2.73 ERA in 86 regular season appearances), he could prove to be a crucial piece this October.

“I think he’s one of those guys that getting the bye has really benefited,” Roberts said. “He’ll throw another live or sim game to some hitters. ... Then he should be ready to go. And given the body of work, what he’s done, the unique skill set could be huge for us, will be huge for us.”

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