Over the weekend, Shohei Ohtani experienced a left knee inflammation that cost him a game against the Chicago White Sox. The Los Angeles Dodgers lost the game by 2-8. While that proved yet again why the Dodgers can’t miss Ohtani, it also suggested the importance of preserving him for the late season.

Ohtani’s next scheduled start was against the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday. With a 47-27 record, Dave Roberts could have easily left Ohtani on the bench despite the swelling reportedly being gone. However, Ohtani started the game against the Rays. But if you think all is fine with Ohtani, the injury scare is still there. According to Roberts, Ohtani’s workload will be managed moving forward, leaving the fans wondering about the reason for overusing the Japanese phenom.

“Shohei Ohtani’s left knee inflammation is not behind him, but will be managed moving forward per Dave Roberts,” Dodger Talk’s David Vassegh shared via X.

Last week, Ohtani left the game against the Pirates in the seventh inning with knee and hamstring pain. No visible pain, but the Dodgers pulled him out as a precautionary measure. “I think that we tried to be smart about it,” Roberts said back then. “And, you know, talked to the trainer and said he had a little behind the knee and behind the knee, little hamstring, so just wanted to be smart and not push it. So I feel good about him being in there tomorrow. But obviously, with the travel tonight, we’ll just kind of see how he comes in.”

Still, there were reasons for the fans to be scared of Ohtani. Just a day before his injury, he threw 102 pitches over 6.2 innings. The next day, he had 2 at-bats, including a homer. Quite a workload that takes a lot out of his body. The more concerning part was that he had surgery on this same left knee in 2019 and, back in 2017, Ohtani missed 6 weeks in NPB with a hamstring injury. So, no matter how minor it looks, when the name is Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers need to be extra careful, but are they?

Roberts still fended off Ohtani’s knee inflammation and made him start against the Rays. “As we sit here right now, he’s ready to go. He feels good, but we’ll keep a keen eye on him,” he said.

Ohtani started on Wednesday and proved terrible. He gave up 4 ERs in his 6 innings, and in the fifth inning, he was seen with a bloodied middle finger of his right hand. According to Noah Camras, “Shohei Ohtani is dealing with a noticeable bloody blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand.” This comes despite Roberts’ assurance a week ago. “There is a little blister. Everyone saw him picking at it a little bit, but I didn’t hear too much about it after the game,” Roberts said. “I don’t expect it to affect him going forward.”

Now, as Ohtani is rumored to be in observation again and the Dodgers may limit his exposure, fans wonder what made the Dodgers manager make hasty moves with his prized possession.

The Dodgers fans panic with the Shohei Ohtani move

Is it really necessary to overuse Ohtani in June? Fans wonder. “Genuinely, what is the point of pushing it at this stage of the season?” one fan asked. “And u start him in a meaningless June game? Robert’s masterclass! Another added.

Last year’s postseason saw Ohtani score 8 HRs at .265 and strike out 28 batters from the mound. In the NLCS Game 4 against the Milwaukee Brewers, Ohtani pitched 6 scoreless innings with 10 SOs, and at the plate, he went 3-for-4, launching 3 HRs. The Dodgers might need the same clutch performance again this time. However, with how the team is overusing Ohtani, fans fear whether Ohtani could be saved for the late season.

They are calling out Roberts for blowing it with Ohtani in June, and that, too, when the Dodgers were 10 games ahead of the second-ranked San Diego Padres.

“Then why is he pitching?” another user asked. A potential knee injury needs rest, but still playing means a worsening injury and an added bloodied finger. Ohtani had both the blisters and swelling, and he still hit the field. “He’s going to do his touchy-feely deal from the mound in a little bit. I saw him play some catch. Looks good, feels good. Look forward to him making a start [Wednesday],” Ohtani was confident. How? No one knows. “Dave JUST said yesterday that there’s no longer any inflammation,” one fan recalled.

“Let him rest before it becomes worse,” one more user pleaded. The Yankees are playing without Aaron Judge, and so could the Dodgers. Nothing is more important than having Ohtani till October. It’s just about time that Roberts’ short-term gain with Ohtani proves costly. Wednesday offered a peek at the worst that was to come.