Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani Won't Play vs Diamondbacks in Series Finale

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani won't play in Thursday's series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks, manager Dave Roberts announced.

Roberts made the announcement ahead of Wednesday's game, in which Ohtani is both hitting and pitching for the third consecutive start. However, his last two starts have come before an off day on Thursday, making it an easier decision for LA.

With the Dodgers playing a four-game series against the Diamondbacks this week, the team has made the decision to sit Ohtani on Thursday after fulfilling his two-way duties on Wednesday.

Roberts said he wants Ohtani to "empty the tank" on Wednesday night.

#Dodgers Dave Roberts says Shohei Ohtani will not be in the lineup v AZ on Thursday. Let him “empty the tank” tonight then have full recovery day.
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) June 3, 2026

The Dodgers are continuing to figure out the best way to navigate Ohtani's first full season as a two-way player with the team.

Early in the year, the Dodgers didn't have any restrictions on Ohtani, and he struggled as a hitter, especially in the games around his pitching starts.

Finally, the Dodgers decided to have Ohtani only pitch on his start days, but not miss a game in the lineup. Then, the team made the decision to have Ohtani miss not only his start day, but also the following game.

For the last two weeks, Ohtani has been back to being a full two-way player on his start days. It also helps that his bat has come alive after a slow start to the season.

In March and April, Ohtani hit .273 with an OPS of .897. Since May 1, he's hitting .314 with an OPS of .959.

Since May 6, when Ohtani really started to get his bat going, he's hitting .367 with an OPS of 1.086.

On the mound, Ohtani has been consistently great, entering his Wednesday start with a 0.82 ERA across 55 innings. He's allowed just five earned runs this year while striking out 61, and is coming off six no-hit innings against the Colorado Rockies.

The Dodgers will continue to navigate Ohtani's workload on a start-by-start basis. Assuming his next start comes next Wednesday, the Dodgers also won't have an off day right after it.

That could mean Ohtani sits each of the next two Thursdays as LA allows him to get some rest amid his incredible workload this season.

“I think [Ohtani] understands that it’s fluid,” Roberts said last month regarding the team's plan for him. “I don’t think that there is one model. It should be a read and react thing."

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