LOS ANGELES -- Shohei Ohtani was out of Saturday's lineup as planned after exiting early due to some tightness in his right biceps the night before, but the two-way superstar could potentially be available to pinch-hit.
After receiving some treatment on his biceps, Ohtani came into Saturday feeling "considerably better," manager Dave Roberts said. He may be available to hit in a big situation late in the game against the Padres, and the hope is that he will be back in the lineup for Sunday's finale.
"If things trend the way we would expect, then he'll be in there tomorrow," Roberts said.
Ohtani did not expect the biceps issue, which was similar to one he experienced earlier this season, to sideline him for long. It flared up after he threw a season-high 110 pitches on Friday, but he said he only felt discomfort during his final at-bat. He said he would have been ready to play Saturday, but the Dodgers opted to keep him out of the starting lineup as a precaution.
"It's the same location that I felt a couple months ago," Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton on Friday. "It went away pretty relatively quickly [last time], so I expect that to happen again. … On the swing, I did feel it, but I was able to play through it."
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."