Shohei Ohtani Hid Injury From Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani missed the team's win over the San Diego Padres on Saturday due to a biceps injury.

Ohtani was taken out of the game on Friday for pinch-hitter Miguel Rojas, which sparked some questions. Afterward, the slugger said that he left due to tightness in his right biceps.

Ohtani also said he dealt with this issue earlier in the season, and it went away quickly. He was back in the lineup on Sunday, going 1-for-3 with an RBI single on his 32nd birthday.

One of the more fascinating parts of this injury is that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had no idea he dealt with the previous ailment. Roberts said that he first learned about it when everyone else did, meaning Ohtani had hid the initial injury from him.

“[The last one was] so benign that I didn’t hear about it until [Friday night]," Roberts said. "It’s the first I heard of it, so it didn’t take him out of playing [the first time]."

Ohtani is the ultimate competitor, and he likely felt as if the injury didn't impact him on the field and wasn't worth bringing up. But the Dodgers want to make sure that he is healthy for the stretch run, so he was forced to sit out on Saturday.

The Dodgers took a similar approach to a knee injury to Ohtani in June, with him missing one game before returning. Ohtani has done well in how he approaches different injuries of late, and the Dodgers would never push him to play if the team didn't feel comfortable.

“We’ll give him a day to fully recover, treat it up and then at that point in time we’ll just go from there,” Roberts said. “He’s dealt with it before. He’s a quick healer and finds a way to get back. But I do think that for us to read and react and hear what his body is telling him is really important, given the toll it takes on his body to be a two-way player.”

Roberts also said that the Dodgers will consider having Ohtani skip his next scheduled start on the mound, giving him more time to fully heal. The team hasn't made the official decision just yet, and it won't be easy to take Ohtani off the field.

“I can always play, and my desire is to always play,” Ohtani said. “I feel good enough to be able to do so.”

All in all, the biceps injury is extremely minor, and the Dodgers just wanted to make sure he took some precautionary measures. Ohtani is the most important player on the roster, so keeping him fresh throughout the long regular season is crucial.

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