Ohtani out of All-Star Game, will skip turn on mound Friday night but will DH
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LOS ANGELES -- Shohei Ohtani has been scratched from his pitching start Friday against the Diamondbacks due to ongoing left knee irritation, the Dodgers announced.
The two-way superstar will continue to serve as designated hitter throughout this weekend’s series at Dodger Stadium, but will not travel to Philadelphia for Tuesday’s All-Star Game, the team said.
Ohtani will receive “some interventions on his knee” during the All-Star break to “put him in the best position for the second half of the season,” according to the Dodgers.
The National League’s leading vote-getter, Ohtani was slated to serve as DH for manager Dave Roberts’ NL squad, but was not going to be available to pitch. He has been nursing the knee discomfort since at least June 11.
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The four-time MVP and five-time All-Star has been navigating a litany of injuries this season, including a tweaked right biceps and a blister on his right hand in addition to his knee discomfort. Despite those maladies, Ohtani has put together a .290/.405/.534 slash line with a .939 OPS and 20 home runs to go with an 8-2 record and a 1.79 ERA that is second in MLB only to Jacob Misiorowski (min. 80 IP).
Despite those overall numbers remaining on-par for Ohtani’s lofty expectations, his performance on the mound has noticeably dipped as he’s dealt with those injuries over the past month. After allowing seven runs (five earned) through 61 innings in his first 10 starts, Ohtani has given up 14 runs (12 earned) in 24 2/3 innings in his last four starts.
Right-hander Kyle Hurt, who has a 4.55 ERA in 31 relief appearances this season, will open for the Dodgers on Friday opposite NL All-Star Eduardo Rodriguez. Hurt has one career start, which came in 2024.