Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani Underwent Imaging on Knee, Could Miss Multiple Games

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani is out of the lineup for Friday's series opener against the Chicago White Sox.

Ohtani exited Thursday's series finale against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the top of the seventh inning with what the team later called left knee inflammation. After the game, manager Dave Roberts wasn't concerned about a serious injury to his superstar player.

“Just wanted to be smart and not push it,” Roberts said of his decision to take Ohtani out of the game. “So I feel good about him being in there [Friday]. But obviously with the travel, we’ll just kind of see how he comes in. ... He’ll get there, do his routine, play catch, push off, land on it, see how it reacts. And then obviously take swings and see how it reacts, too.”

On Friday, Roberts provided the latest update on Ohtani, saying he underwent imaging on his knee that came back clean.

Roberts said Ohtani won't be available on Friday night and could miss multiple games this weekend. The team is hoping he's able to return at some point during the series in Chicago, but Roberts called it "not an IL situation."

Additionally, Roberts said Ohtani is still expected to make his pitching start next Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Dave Roberts said Shohei Ohtani had imaging on his knee, but it came back clean

He won’t be available tonight, then they’ll see about tomorrow. Roberts remains hopeful he’ll be back this weekend, and (as of now) said he is still on track to make his next pitching start Wednesday https://t.co/3cQUmBAdRf
— Jack Harris (@ByJackHarris) June 12, 2026

Ohtani went 2-for-2 on Thursday with a home run while reaching in all four plate appearances. After his fourth inning single, Ohtani attempted to steal second base on what ended up being a foul ball by Andy Pages. On Thursday, Roberts said that's where he believes he got hurt.

“I haven’t talked to Shohei yet, but my assumption is it was trying to steal second base,” Roberts said Thursday. “Obviously, I think that you just gotta be smart on the bases and not take chances we don’t really need to. But if that was the cause, I don’t really know right now.”

The Dodgers can ill-afford any serious injury to Ohtani, who's been an elite hitter and pitcher this season.

Shohei Ohtani's stats this season for the Dodgers:

Hitter: .305/.421/.543, 13 HR, 40 RBIs, .964 OPS
Pitcher: 1.06 ERA, 73 K, 67.2 IP, .154 BAA

Hopefully his knee injury isn't anything serious. pic.twitter.com/fUH8TVxbRa
— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) June 12, 2026

At the plate, Ohtani is hitting .305 with 13 home runs, 40 RBIs and an OPS of .964, which leads the National League. He also leads the NL with a 165 wRC+.

As a pitcher, Ohtani is 6-2 with a 1.06 ERA across 67.2 innings. He has 73 strikeouts to 21 walks while opponents are hitting just .154 against him.

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