Ohtani set to pitch Wednesday after knee injection; LA to keep eye on workload

NEW YORK -- The Dodgers are hopeful that Shohei Ohtani will be in a better place after undergoing treatment to address lingering soreness in his left knee, but the team might need to be mindful of the two-way superstar's workload coming out of the All-Star break.

Ohtani led off as Los Angeles' designated hitter in the second-half opener on Friday night at Yankee Stadium, as was expected. His first pitching start of the second half is scheduled to take place on Wednesday night against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park, manager Dave Roberts said, as long as Ohtani comes out of his catch play and side session well in the next several days.

Last week, Ohtani was scratched from his final scheduled pitching start of the first half due to continued irritation in his left knee, which first flared up during the Dodgers' June 11 game in Pittsburgh. Ohtani played through the lingering discomfort up until the All-Star break, when he got a lubricating Orthovisc shot in his knee, which forced him to miss the Midsummer Classic.

The Dodgers are hopeful that the injection, followed by four days off during the break, will help give Ohtani relief in his knee. But the team is planning on being nimble when it comes to managing his workload moving forward.

"I think it’s all contingent on how his knee is feeling," Roberts said. "I think we are certainly more prepared to back off on the workload if it calls for it. But Shohei wants to be out there as much as he possibly can."

Earlier this season, the Dodgers were more proactive in managing Ohtani's first full two-way season since 2023. He made some pitching starts where he was not in the lineup as a hitter during the first two months, but by the end of May, he was regularly carrying out his full two-way duties.

The Dodgers have found some middle ground in managing Ohtani's workload by lining up his pitching starts before team off-days to give him a full recovery day. Sometimes the schedule does not allow for Ohtani to pitch in front of an off-day, though, and Roberts indicated that he might choose to give him a game off afterward in certain situations.

"I think it’s safe to say even if there isn’t an off-day behind it, I would like to give him that next day off," Roberts said. "But ideally, yeah, you would like to have the scheduled off-day behind it. But that’s not always possible with the schedule and with where he’s at."

Ohtani has been a force as both a hitter and a pitcher this season, but the Dodgers' priority is keeping him impactful in both regards down the stretch and through another deep postseason run. With the best record in the Majors and a double-digit lead in the NL West, L.A. can afford to be mindful with his usage in the short term with an eye on having him at his best for the long run.