July 3 may be the last time Shohei Ohtani takes the mound for the Los Angeles Dodgers this season.
Prior to the team’s Wednesday night loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said in a pregame press conference that “shutting down” Ohtani as a starting pitcher for the rest of the season is “an option,” as the two-way superstar continues to rehab from left knee inflammation and a right biceps issue.
Roberts noted that the Dodgers aren’t at the point of shutting down Ohtani as a pitcher “quite yet” and there’s no “hard timeline” on making such a decision. The skipper also expressed that Ohtani playing the outfield isn’t “on the table.”
While Ohtani has continued to serve as the Dodgers’ designated hitter since encountering the injury, he hasn’t pitched since July 3.
Across the 14 outings he has made this season, Ohtani has recorded a 1.79 ERA, an 0.95 WHIP, a 231 ERA+, three wins above replacement and 95 strikeouts in 85 ⅔ innings pitched. On the pitching front, Los Angeles recently got starters Justin Wrobleski (forearm) — whose first appearance back in action came out of the bullpen — and Tyler Glasnow (back) back from the injured list, with Blake Snell (elbow) four starts back from the injured list.
Meanwhile, at the plate, the four-time MVP has totaled 30 home runs, 80 RBIs, a 148 OPS+ and 3.5 wins above replacement, while boasting a .279/.381/.525 slash line. Ohtani is in a slump of late, though, as he’s batting .130 over his last 12 games (57 plate appearances).
The Dodgers (82-57) have lost six of their last eight games and are now in possession of the third seed in the National League playoffs. They’re a half-game behind the Atlanta Braves (83-57) for the No. 2 seed.
