Shohei Ohtani Injury Update, Latest Rumors on Dodgers Star's Status Ahead of 2026 MLB Playoffs

Shohei Ohtani will reportedly be out of the lineup once again when the Los Angeles Dodgers face the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday.

The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya reported the slugger will not play for the sixth time in seven games due to knee, biceps and neck injuries. This is a change from the Dodgers' previous plans of playing him Wednesday after he had the day off Tuesday.

"Talking to the training staff, it's more of the thought of, 'Let's build him up slowly,'" Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday.

The two-way star hasn't pitched since July 3 but had been playing designated hitter on a consistent basis until these recent issues. Monday's win over the Reds was the only time he's been in the lineup since Sept. 2.

He went 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts in that one.

When healthy, the four-time MVP remains one of the best players in baseball even when he isn't pitching. He has been largely excellent at the plate this season and is slashing .277/.380/.522 with 30 home runs, 80 RBI and 11 stolen bases.

His overall presence is a major reason the Dodgers are back-to-back World Series champions, and they surely have their eye on October with the latest caution.

Where Los Angeles will be come October remains to be seen, as it is 1.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the race for the No. 1 seed in the National League and three games ahead of the Atlanta Braves for the No. 2 seed.

Fortunately for the Dodgers, they have played well of late even without Ohtani and enter Wednesday's contest on a six-game winning streak.