The Los Angeles Dodgers have placed Shohei Ohtani on the injured list due to right arm discomfort, manager Dave Roberts announced Wednesday night. Ohtani has been managing lingering soreness in his right biceps and left knee for weeks, but experienced discomfort after a swing on Monday.
"There was a swing Monday that he didn’t feel great on, hasn’t totally recovered from Monday," Roberts said. "In talking to Shohei, the doctors, the training staff, it’s the right thing to do. We tried to kick the can as much as we could."
Roberts indicated that Ohtani would be in the lineup if the postseason began Thursday and expressed confidence that the player would be ready to return after the mandatory 15-day injured list stint. Ohtani will not travel with the team on its upcoming East Coast road trip.
If Ohtani returns on September 22, he would have six games to prepare for the postseason. "It's certainly not ideal," Roberts admitted. "The most important thing is him being as healthy as possible, not compromising his swing, and kind of bet on that."
Roberts stated he wished the team had placed Ohtani on the injured list earlier, after the player experienced discomfort following four days of rest. "I would love to go back and put him on the IL," Roberts said. "But I did feel at that moment in time, we all felt that giving him four days was sufficient. He was agreeable."
Ohtani, a six-time All-Star, has been having another MVP-caliber season. In 130 games, he has a .277 batting average with 30 home runs and 80 RBIs. As a pitcher, he was 8-2 in 14 starts with a 1.79 ERA in 85 2/3 innings before being sidelined.
To fill Ohtani's roster spot, the Dodgers called up top prospect Josue De Paula from Double-A. The 21-year-old is expected to serve as the designated hitter against the Miami Marlins. Roberts expressed confidence in De Paula's ability to handle major league pitching, noting his performance in camp and control of the strike zone.