Shohei Ohtani Injury Update Given By Dodgers' Dave Roberts Amid Multiple Ailments

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani missed his second straight game on Friday as he continues to deal with multiple ailments.

That naturally leads to speculation on whether Ohtani needs an injured list stint, and manager Dave Roberts told reporters that he's "hopeful" (but not "confident") that the four-time MVP will avoid one.

"Hopeful, but I wouldn't say confident," Roberts said, per Sonja Chen of MLB.com. "If three days [go by] and we're back in the same spot two days later, then it wasn't the right decision. … There are scenarios where we don't make the move and he's still active, so I don't know what that looks like. But there's not just two ways to do this."

Ohtani hasn't pitched since July 3 due to left knee soreness, but a right biceps issue has since cropped up and affected his return to the mound (and his hitting) as well.

Per ESPN's Alden Gonzalez, Ohtani noted "soreness in his neck and along his right arm" late in the Dodgers' 8-6 home loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday. Ohtani struck out four times in that game, marking the first time he's done that since July 2025.

Ohtani's numbers are a bit down in 2026 from his usual elite form as he deals with numerous injuries, but he's still been one of the most valuable players in baseball. He's posted a .906 OPS alongside 30 home runs and 80 RBI in 129 games.

On the mound, Ohtani was dominant, going 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA (0.95 WHIP) and 95 strikeouts in 85.2 innings.

In theory, the Dodgers could afford to give Ohtani some rest and put him on the IL. Barring a monumental collapse, the Dodgers should win the NL West, as they led the division by 10 games (with 22 contests left) on Friday evening.

The biggest question is seeding, as the Dodgers would certainly like to finish in the top two and avoid playing in the NL Wild Card Series. They entered Friday down three games to the Milwaukee Brewers for first in the NL and tied with the Atlanta Braves for No. 2.

However, L.A. had to do that last year and ended up just fine, sweeping the Cincinnati Reds 2-0 en route to winning back-to-back World Series.

In the meantime, Ohtani is essentially day-to-day as the Dodgers continue a nine-game home stand by welcoming the Washington Nationals into town for three games.

As for Ohtani's lineup replacement, Alex Call has started as DH each of the past two games.