Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers was ready to enter Sunday's game as a pinch-hitter, but the opportunity never materialized as his teammates staged a late-inning comeback victory. Ohtani had been sidelined for four consecutive games due to knee, biceps, and neck issues.
In the eighth inning, with the Dodgers trailing by a run, Ohtani had put on his elbow guard and batting gloves, anticipating a potential at-bat. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts indicated that Ohtani would have replaced Alex Call if either of the preceding hitters, Freddie Freeman or Max Muncy, had reached base. However, both hitters made outs, ending the immediate possibility of the substitution.
"To be quite honest, versus lefty right there, I just felt Call had a good chance to get on base," Roberts explained. "And nothing against Shohei, but he hadn’t played in four days and lefty’s on the mound, so I figured we’ll just try to keep the line moving and get Tommy (Edman) up there."
Following the decision to keep Call in the game, he singled. Tommy Edman then drew a walk, setting the stage for Mookie Betts. Betts hit a fastball over the left-field wall for a home run, propelling the Dodgers to a 7-5 win.
Roberts expressed his expectation that Ohtani would be back in the starting lineup on Monday. He also confirmed that the plan remains for Ohtani to continue batting leadoff, even with Edman's potential impact at the top of the order.