Shohei Ohtani Returns to Dodgers After Missing 4 Games With Injury, Starting Lineup Revealed

After missing four straight games, four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani will make his return to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night against the Cincinnati Reds.

Los Angeles also recalled right-handed pitcher Emmet Sheehan and optioned right-handed pitcher Bobby Miller.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had previously said on Sunday that "if nothing else changes," he anticipated Ohtani playing on Monday.

While Ohtani is back in the lineup, Roberts said on Sunday—per The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya—that it was "unlikely" that Ohtani would pitch again in 2026.

He further addressed the matter on Monday:

Since Ohtani is designated as a two-way player, he would've had to go on the injured list for a minimum of 15 days instead of 10. 

"That'd be more of a deterrent," Roberts said Saturday of potentially placing him on the IL, per Doug Padilla of the Associated Press.

There was some progress over the weekend, though, as Padilla noted Roberts said Ohtani took swings in the batting cages Saturday after not doing so the previous two days and did not report feeling discomfort.

"I feel that it's gotten a lot better given his demeanor the last couple days," Roberts said. "What I have learned about Shohei is when he doesn't feel well, physically, he gets more short, and it's just not the same personality, which makes sense. And so I think the last couple days he's gotten a lot more loose and easygoing."

Ohtani has not pitched since July 3 as the Dodgers manage his health and has struggled of late hitting just .137 with one home run in his last 13 games. Chicago Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong has seized control of the National League MVP race in the meantime with Ohtani not pitching or hitting like himself.

Still, the Dodgers will surely need the six-time All-Star back and healthy if they are going to win a third straight World Series title.

While a starting rotation that features Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow gives them plenty of remaining starpower on the mound, Ohtani is an elite hitter who can carry the offense throughout October.

He launched eight home runs in 17 postseason games last year and took home the National League Championship Series MVP in the win over the Milwaukee Brewers.

Los Angeles (86-57) holds a 10-game lead in the NL West and currently holds the No. 2 seed over the Atlanta Braves.