On 32nd b-day, Ohtani returns to LA lineup after missing 1 game
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LOS ANGELES -- One day after sitting out a game due to a minor issue with his right biceps, Shohei Ohtani returned to the leadoff spot as the designated hitter for Sunday’s series finale against the Padres at Dodger Stadium -- just in time for the two-way superstar's 32nd birthday.
Ohtani was pinch-hit for in the seventh inning of Friday's 4-3 win, just after the Dodgers had taken a one-run lead on a Teoscar Hernández grand slam. Ohtani felt some tightness in his right biceps during his final at-bat, similar to something he had experienced earlier this season.
Similar to the previous biceps issue, which Ohtani played through without fanfare, this more recent one did not affect him for long. After he tweaked his biceps on Friday, Ohtani said he thought he would be able to play the following day if needed. The Dodgers kept Ohtani out of action on Saturday anyway. The hope is that he's past the issue moving forward.
"[We'll] continue to monitor," manager Dave Roberts said. "But from the training staff, there's no remnants, no anything from that sensation, that feeling he had before. So he feels back to normal."
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There still remains a question of whether Ohtani will make one final pitching start before the All-Star break, which would be lined up for Friday against the D-backs. Roberts said skipping that start could be on the table, as Ohtani has also been dealing with lingering soreness in his left knee and a blister on his right hand.
The Dodgers will see how Ohtani comes away when he resumes playing catch on Sunday, then monitor his regular throwing progression leading up to the scheduled start.
"We don't need to make that decision today, tomorrow, the next day, so we have time," Roberts said. "And I think for us it's just more of reading and reacting on how he feels."