Shohei Ohtani landed on the injured list last week with knee and biceps injuries that have lingered since May and June, and he is considered highly unlikely to pitch again this season.
14 starts into his return, Ohtani had gone 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA and 95 strikeouts in 85 2/3 innings, but attempts to ramp back up were repeatedly stalled as the knee issue added stress to his biceps.
49 games after his July 3 start, his hitting slipped to a .259/.342/.518 line with a 127 wRC+ and 12 homers — still strong, but well below the 1.000-plus OPS marks of his previous three seasons.
Two Tommy John surgeries, a 2020 flexor strain and just 186 innings outside his 2021-23 workload have reinforced the view that full-time pitching keeps undermining his durability.
The broader argument is that the Dodgers' $700 million star remains an MVP-caliber hitter without pitching, while Los Angeles has enough rotation depth to treat his mound work as expendable.