Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani Exits Game as Pitcher, Injury Downplayed by Team as Cramping

Los Angeles Dodgers fans are holding their breath after star Shohei Ohtani suffered an apparent injury on Wednesday.

In the fourth inning of Wednesday's matchup against the Cincinnati Reds, Ohtani gave up a leadoff single before throwing six consecutive balls, including a pair of wild pitches. Manager Dave Roberts and a trainer met with Ohtani briefly on the mound before pulling him from the game.

ESPN's Alden González reported that Ohtani left the mound because of cramping/tightness in his lower half.

"I felt it in the first inning and just tried to work around it and I was able to do it up until the third, and it didn't quite work out in the fourth," Ohtani said through an interpreter, per ESPN.

After leaving the mound, Ohtani was able to remain in the Dodgers' lineup as the designated hitter.

Before being pulled from the mound, Ohtani gave up five hits, two runs and two walks but picked up four strikeouts. He threw a season-high 51 pitches.

"A good thing about today's outing is my pitch count was where I want it to be," Ohtani said. "So I think this is a step forward in a sense."

Before this season, Ohtani had not pitched since August of 2023 as he recovered from a torn UCL. He made his return to the mound in June, though he's still been limited in how many innings he can pitch. Before Wednesday, he had not pitched past the third inning.

While he hasn't gone deep into any of his outings, he's been solid on the mound, posting a 1.50 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in six starts coming into Wednesday's game.

While it's unclear whether the pain Ohtani was dealing with on Wednesday will keep him off the mound for an extended period of time, it's a good sign that he was able to resume hitting duties after exiting his start.

At the plate, Ohtani is having another MVP-caliber season. He's collected 38 homers, the second-most in the majors, and has added 73 RBI with a .272 OPS and a .983 OPS, the second-best in the majors only behind New York Yankees star Aaron Judge.

The Dodgers appear primed to make another deep postseason run following the 2024 World Series title. With the trade deadline approaching on Wednesday, Los Angeles sits atop the NL West at 63-45.