Shohei Ohtani Scratched From Wednesday Start, Won’t Pitch For “Some Time” - MLB Trade Rumors

What the report says

MLB Trade Rumors reported that Shohei Ohtani has been removed from his scheduled Wednesday start against the Philadelphia Phillies because of an ongoing left knee problem, with Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts indicating the two-way star will be away from pitching for more than just a brief day-to-day pause. Ohtani is expected to continue serving as the Dodgers’ designated hitter while the club waits for the knee irritation to improve.

According to the report, Roberts described the move as partly precautionary and said Ohtani is still expected to pitch again this season. The manager pointed to the Dodgers’ strong position in the NL West as a reason the team can avoid pushing him now, especially with October health in mind. Ohtani last pitched July 3 against the San Diego Padres, giving up three earned runs in six innings during a 4-3 Dodgers win.

MLB Trade Rumors noted that Ohtani had already missed a scheduled start before the All-Star break, skipped the All-Star Game, and received an Orthovisc injection in the knee. His recent pitching results have been less dominant than his early-season form, though the article framed that as possibly connected to the knee issue or normal performance regression. His hitting has not appeared similarly affected, and he had two hits in Sunday’s 8-2 win over the Yankees in the first game of a doubleheader.

The development matters because Los Angeles is also without Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow, both on the 60-day injured list. Even so, the Dodgers still have several rotation options, including Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Justin Wrobleski, Roki Sasaki, Emmet Sheehan and Eric Lauer, and could consider adding starting depth before the August 3 trade deadline.