The Los Angeles Dodgers entered Wednesday night’s series finale against the Cincinnati Reds without Shohei Ohtani in the starting lineup, a development that immediately raised questions about the two-way star’s health as the regular season winds down.
Manager Dave Roberts had indicated after Tuesday’s contest that Ohtani was available and expected to play the next day. The official card, however, listed Tommy Edman in center, Will Smith as the designated hitter, Mookie Betts at shortstop and no Ohtani anywhere in the nine, via Underdog MLB.
Ohtani had already sat out four straight games before rejoining the club for the series opener against Cincinnati. He is managing a biceps and neck problem that has limited him at the plate and a lingering knee issue that has kept him off the mound entirely.
Roberts described Tuesday’s absence as precautionary and said Ohtani would have been used in a close or late-game situation. The sudden omission from Wednesday’s lineup therefore marked a change in plan rather than a scheduled rest day.
If Ohtani stays out of the game, it will be his sixth missed contest in the past week. That volume of time away from the field so close to October is what worries many observers.
The Dodgers still have 16 regular-season games remaining, and the club has not yet placed him on the injured list. Whether they ultimately choose that route to give him extra recovery time before the postseason remains an open question.
The timing is particularly notable because Ohtani’s production has already slipped. After the biceps issue became public, he posted a .795 OPS in August, his weakest month since joining the Dodgers. Over his last six appearances he is 2-for-23 with 11 strikeouts.
Those numbers are a far cry from the elite standard he has set as one of baseball’s most complete hitters. Even a modest decline in form at this stage of the year can affect how the lineup is constructed and how opposing pitchers approach the rest of the order.
Roberts and the coaching staff now face a familiar late-season calculation: how much rest is enough to protect a franchise player without sacrificing rhythm or momentum.
Ohtani’s dual-role history makes the decision more complicated; the knee that has kept him from pitching also influences how much load he can safely handle as a hitter.
Fans watching the lineup card on Wednesday were left to wonder whether the latest absence is simply caution or a sign that the club is already thinking about October availability.
The Dodgers remain in a strong position in the standings, but the health of their most prominent player will shape the conversation for the rest of the month.
Wednesday’s unexpected lineup change served as the latest reminder that even superstars can become question marks when the calendar turns toward the postseason.
