Shohei Ohtani to IL? Dodgers Manager Says 'Nothing Should Be Off the Table'

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani has been limited in his two-way abilities since the beginning of July.

The Dodgers shut down Ohtani from pitching while he battles an ongoing knee and biceps injury. The issue caused him to miss the All-Star Game earlier this month while he received a lubricant shot in his knee.

He hasn't pitched since July 3.

Before Thursday, the issue didn't appear to be affecting him as a hitter. Then, he was out of Thursday's lineup due to what manager Dave Roberts called "soreness" in his left knee.

So, why aren't the Dodgers placing him on the injured list to give him a 10 day break?

“That’s a hard question and I understand the thought behind it,” manager Dave Roberts said. “But it has gotten better over the last few weeks, markedly. He’s been a productive player. But to kind of essentially take it out of his hands, shut him down — the player, you trust him. He feels like he can go."

Ohtani admitted earlier this week that he's "not 100%." However, he feels he's good enough to play through it, and the Dodgers are letting him.

"He’s not 100%; very few players are 100%," Roberts said. "Then what is it? Is it 70%, is it 80%, is it 90%? For me, there’s still that conversation, where he understands the most important part of the season is to come, and he understands his value with our team. We’re talking about this constantly. We are."

He added: "Nothing should be off the table and nothing is set in stone. So I think it’s more of how he feels.”

All the Dodgers can do is manage the injuries the best they can, but putting the star on the injured list could be a possible plan of attack. This could give him some extra rest following a heavy workload early in the season, allowing him ample time to heal for the playoffs.

“I’m trying to restrain from a forecast of what’s going to happen, as opposed to just reading and reacting,” Roberts said. “Three days ago, we just had an off day, and to say there’s some soreness certainly is different than what we’ve done the last two weeks. Is it a trend? I hope not. But if it is, then we just got to manage it.”

The knee has hampered Ohtani more as a pitcher than a hitter, which is why the team shut him down from throwing. Ohtani was in the midst of a strong year on the mound, posting a 1.79 ERA over 14 starts.

As a hitter, Ohtani has again shown why he's a leader in the National League MVP race. The slugger has hit .289 with 23 home runs, 65 RBIs and an OPS of .931 on the season.

When Will Shohei Ohtani Return?

The timeline for Ohtani to return to the mound remains unknown at this time, but the hope is sometime in August.

As a hitter, Ohtani is expected to be back in the Dodgers lineup for Friday's series opener against the Boston Red Sox.

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