Shohei

Ohtani

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.

The discomfort is in his pitching arm, though he said he felt it while batting in his last at-bat. Shutting Ohtani down as a pitcher for a spell would doom his Cy Young chances, but it might be the right call for the Dodgers’ World Series chances. Still, at this point, the Dodgers are terming Friday’s removal as precautionary. If he feels better, he could DH on Sunday. Dalton Rushing or Teoscar Hernández figures to DH on Saturday.

Ohtani felt something during his previous at-bat and the Dodgers didn’t want to push him, so he was lifted for a pinch hitter. Dodgers’ skipper Dave Roberts called the move “precautionary”, and it doesn’t sound like there’s any additional testing planned at this time. While it doesn’t sound like anything that fantasy managers should worry about, be sure to check back on his status on Saturday to be on the safe side.

Ohtani has been granted a reprieve from facing the Athletics in the certifiable hitter’s paradise that is Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento during Wednesday afternoon’s series finale. It’ll be a bullpen game for the Dodgers instead. The 31-year-old generational talent will take the ball instead on Friday against the division-rival Padres back in Los Angeles after Roki Sasaki works the series opener on Thursday evening.

No one was robbing Ohtani’s homer off Matt Krook; he hit the ball 112.3 mph and a projected 432 feet to right. He has 18 homers and is up to third in the majors with a .958 OPS, trailing only Yordan Alvarez at 1.031 and Juan Soto at .975. He’s also second with 60 runs scored, though he’s 13 behind James Wood there.

It’s going to be a tough decision for the National League skipper since Brewers flamethrower Jacob Misiorowski and Phillies ace Cristopher Sánchez both are deserving candidates to start the Midsummer Classic. There’s no scenario where Ohtani will be able to pitch in relief since he’s in the lineup at DH and won’t be able to warm up during the game. Simply put, Ohtani is either going to start the game or not pitch at all. There might not be a decision either way for a couple weeks.