As Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani continues to manage his knee injury, the organization announced that he will be temporarily shut down from pitching to prevent further injury. Nonetheless, this will not affect his hitting ability, as Ohtani will remain in the lineup as the designated hitter.
Ohtani went 1 for 4 in the series finale against the Yankees, as the Yankees avoided a sweep at home with a 2-1 win at Yankee Stadium on Sunday. The reigning World Series champions began the second half strongly with an exciting series win over the Bronx Bombers in New York.
Fans quickly reacted to the recent updates on Ohtani’s pitching, with some saying it was inevitable given his heavy workload in almost every game. Others, however, called it a phantom injury meant to protect their star player in the postseason.
“This isnt surprising. Asing someone to have a workload of pitching and hitting like Ohtani was going to result in this kind of issue. It’s only going to get worse as he gets older,” one fan commented.
“$700 Million DH 😭,” another fan commented.
What Did Dave Roberts Say While Announcing Shohei Ohtani’s Temporary Pitching Shutdown?
Before the Dodgers-Yankees doubleheader on Sunday, manager Dave Roberts announced that Ohtani would be temporarily shut down from pitching, while reiterating that he would continue to hit.
“I would say that it’s going to be some time. It’s not going to be a day-to-day thing… We just want to continue to give it the best chance to kind of get in a good spot. As he said, as we feel it, it’s the pitching and the torque on landing on that leg. That kind of gets it upset. So I think that hitting doesn’t do that. So I think that for us, we’re trying to give it as much time as possible,” Roberts said.
Ohtani is having an amazing two-way campaign this year, with a .290 batting average, 22 home runs, 60 RBIs, and a .938 OPS. On the mound, he is posting an 8-2 record, with a 1.79 ERA and 95 strikeouts in 14 starts this season.
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