Shohei Ohtani's Injury Appears Worse Than Dodgers Initially Let On

The two-way star isn't with the Dodgers on the road.

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) watches a game from a dugout during the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Dodger Stadium on Sept. 9, 2026. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Shohei Ohtani played only once in a span of eight days before he was placed on the 15-day injured list on Friday. The questions about why he was not placed on the IL sooner could be answered with a simple explanation: if Ohtani was truly close to being available to DH, or at least pinch-hit off the bench, he still could justify his spot on the Los Angeles Dodgers' active roster.

For a while, that possibility gave the Dodgers hope of a quick return.

Now, the setback that ultimately sent Ohtani to the injured list looks more serious than his timeline would suggest on the surface.

Ohtani did not travel with the rest of the team to Miami for its three-game series against the Marlins. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Saturday that Ohtani hasn't resumed baseball activities.

At the earliest, the Dodgers can activate Ohtani from the injured list on Sept. 23, giving him five regular-season games to warm up for the postseason.

Roberts told reporters in Miami that Ohtani will take “a few days” off from swinging a bat, then be re-evaluated to determine how soon he can resume activity.

The manager — in the unfortunate position of providing medical updates for a player 3,000 miles away — could not offer a specific diagnosis that suggested the Dodgers' outlook for Ohtani had changed.

“There’s nothing as far as the diagnosis, as far as anything that’s outside of just it’s bothersome. His right bicep is bothersome when he swings,” the manager said.

“The knee is still sore, but right now it’s the bicep, arm, that’s kind of bothering. But I don’t know outside of what more specific I can say than the bicep.”

Earlier this week, Roberts said he regretted how the situation was handled.

“I think if we look right now, here today, I would love to go back and put him on the IL [last week],” Roberts said on Wednesday. “But I did feel at that moment in time, we all felt that giving him four days was sufficient. He was agreeable."

Josue De Paula was recalled from Double-A to take Ohtani's place on the active roster. In his first two games, the 21-year-old phenom had no hits but had drawn four walks and scored a run in his first nine plate appearances.

On Sunday, he hit his first career home run.

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