Shohei Ohtani to have left knee drained on Sunday

Ohtani is slated to have his ailing left knee drained in addition to receiving a pain-relieving injection later this weekend and will miss next week’s All-Star Game in Philadelphia as a result. The 32-year-old generational talent homered during Friday’s series opener against Arizona and will remain in Los Angeles’ lineup at DH. He added that the issue is impacting his performance on the mound more than at the plate and while he could’ve pushed through the issue he’s going to use the extra time off the be ready for the second half.

Of course he did. It was one of those pretty much only he can hit, too, as he took a fastball low and a few inches inside from Eduardo Rodriguez and somehow sent it out of the opposite field. He also had a 370-foot flyout in the fifth. Ohtani has 21 homers this season. Unfortunately, with Ohtani unable to take the mound tonight, seven Dodgers relievers combined to five up nine runs in 9-3 loss.

The Dodgers also announced that the 32-year-old two-way superstar will not play in next week’s All-Star Game in Philadelphia. It doesn’t sound like there are any plans to place Ohtani on the injured list, and the plan as of now is to have him continue serving as the club’s designated hitter for their weekend set against the Diamondbacks. It just may keep him off of the mound for a while.

Ohtani led off the bottom of the first with a solo homer off Michael Lorenzen to put the Dodgers on the board. It was a 112.2 mph shot to center field, going 409 feet. The 32-year-old star is up to 20 homers, 62 runs scored, and 56 RBI while slashing .294/.409/.541 across 391 plate appearances.

It’s a reassuring update after Ohtani dealt with a right biceps issue last week. The 32-year-old two-way superstar struck out nine and allowed three runs over six innings against the Padres last Friday before exiting that contest with biceps tightness. Roberts added that he doesn’t anticipate Ohtani participating in the All-Star Home Run Derby or pitching in next week’s Midsummer Classic, but could see him getting an at-bat or two in the contest.

Ohtani had a 112-mph lineout in the first inning tonight, but he made up for it with a homer off Kyle Freeland in his next at-bat. He has 19 homers on the year, and he’s tied for fifth in the majors with 61 runs scored and sixth with 59 walks.

Ohtani went 1-for-3 with an RBI in his return to the lineup for Sunday’s series finale against the Padres following a one-game absence due to biceps discomfort. The 32-year-old two-way superstar’s workload will probably need to be managed closely in the second half if the Dodgers are going to keep him healthy for the postseason. It’s undoubtedly a positive sign that he’s not missing any additional game action following an injury scare over the weekend.

Ohtani sat out Saturday’s ballgame due to biceps discomfort. He felt considerably better after the day off though and is right back in there atop the Dodgers’ lineup for Sunday’s showdown against Padres’ left-hander JP Sears.

Roberts said that Ohani is feeling “considerably better” after dealing with biceps discomfort that will keep him out of Saturday’s game against San Diego. There’s even a chance Ohtani could be available off the bench, but Roberts said he would need to see how the rest of the day goes. Even if he doesn’t return to the lineup this weekend, it does appear that this is mostly precautionary. It still remains to be seen if he’ll make another start as a pitcher before the All-Star break, however.

As expected, Ohtani will miss Saturday’s game with biceps discomfort. The 31-year-old has a good chance to be back in the lineup in the next few days, but there’s a decent chance he’s made his last start of the first half because of the discomfort. Tommy Edman is leading off in Ohtani’s absence, with Andy Pages the designated hitter.