Shohei Ohtani (biceps) hits in batting cage

When pressed to see how many at-bats he’s expected to receive before the postseason, Friedman just shrugged his shoulders. It sounds like the Dodgers want to get him a handful of at-bats next weekend, if possible, but their priority is to have him healthy and ready to go for the start of the postseason.

Ohtani figures to return to Los Angeles for the final week of the regular season after hitting the shelf with ongoing knee and biceps issues last week. However, there isn’t anything close to an official timeline coming from the organization at this juncture. It’ll be top prospect Josue De Paula continuing to handle DH in his absence. There should be a definitive return timetable for Ohtani at some point later this week after he ramps up a hitting progression.

Even with the backdated stint on the injured list, the earliest that the superstar slugger will be able to return is September 23. Dodgers’ top prospect Josue De Paula was promoted from Double-A Tulsa to take Ohtani’s place on the Dodgers’ active roster on Friday.

The one disadvantage built into Ohtani’s Two-Way Player status is that he has to be placed on the 15-day injured list like other pitchers. The Dodgers can backdate the assignment to Tuesday, but that still means Ohtani, who is dealing with knee and biceps injuries, will only be able to return for the final five days of the season. Expect Josue De Paula to play regularly against righties until then and probably share time between left field and DH with Teoscar Hernández.

Ohtani takes a seat for the sixth time in the last seven games as the Dodgers continue to manage his workload due to ongoing knee and biceps issues. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters a trip to the injured list is in play since Ohtani hasn’t fully recovered from playing in Monday’s series opener. There should be additional clarity on his status leading into Friday’s series opener against the Marlins in Miami. Fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day for the moment.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that Ohtani is available off the bench and is expected to return to the lineup on Wednesday. Tommy Edman moves up to the leadoff spot with Freddie Freeman getting off his feet at DH while Enrique Hernández covers first base. Ohtani went 0-for-3 with a walk and a pair of strikeouts in his return to Los Angeles’ lineup during Monday’s win over the Reds after missing four games with ongoing knee and biceps issues. The 32-year-old two-way superstar told reporters afterwards that he’s going to focus exclusively on hitting for the rest of the season. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Dodgers carefully manage his workload for the final three weeks of the season to keep his as healthy as possible heading into the playoffs.

Ohtani went 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts against the Reds after missing four games to rest his knee and biceps injuries. A return to the mound this year hasn’t been completely ruled out, but Ohtani isn’t pursuing it at the moment in order to give him his best chance of succeeding offensively. It’s safe to assume he’ll be a hitter-only until the postseason, and it’s probably not going to be worth the risk for him to try to contribute in short mound stints in October.

As expected, Ohtani is back in the leadoff spot following a four-game absence due to ongoing physical issues. The two-way superstar has been dealing with multiple lingering injury concerns for several weeks, including left knee soreness and biceps discomfort. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters they’re putting a pin on Ohtani pitching for now. They haven’t officially ruled him out for the playoffs, but it seems highly unlikely they’re jeopardize his postseason availability as a hitter by pushing things from a pitching standpoint. The encouraging news here for fantasy managers is that Ohtani is back in the lineup without requiring a trip to the injured list.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani would have hit for Alex Call in the eighth Sunday night had there been any runners on base at the time. As it turned out, there wasn’t, so Call got to hit for himself with none on and two outs. He singled, Tommy Edman walked and then Mookie Betts hit a three-run homer, giving the Dodgers a 7-5 lead that stood up against the Nationals. Barring something strange, Ohtani will DH and hit in the leadoff spot Monday.

Ohtani’s workouts Saturday apparently went pretty well. Although he’s out of the lineup for a fourth straight game Sunday, he’s about ready to resume hitting while dealing with his knee, biceps and hip issues. There’s still no timetable for him to get back on the mound, however.