In MLB, Shohei Ohtani is the only active two-way player with a unique skill set. Finding a replacement for him is practically impossible, and the Los Angeles Dodgers now face that challenge. After days of delay, the Dodgers were forced to place Ohtani on the IL. With the postseason only a few weeks away, his absence is a major blow to the Dodgers’ lineup. As the crisis unfolded, an MLB insider weighed in on the role Ohtani played in the current predicament.
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“Is this a case of a player just having too much control?” Ken Rosenthal asked on Foul Territory. “And I don’t know that it is, as much as a player who is not communicating his physical condition well enough to the team, and we’ve seen this over the years with a lot of players who want to stay on the field. They basically lie about their injuries.”
Following his return to two-way responsibilities, injuries have hampered Ohtani all season. From knee discomfort to a sore neck, he has faced multiple health setbacks this season. Yet the Dodgers never placed him on the injured list. Instead, they chose to rest him every time. Throughout the season, manager Dave Roberts has mentioned multiple times how much Ohtani enjoys being on the field. The Japanese MVP does not like to be benched, even when he is not 100% healthy.
Ken Rosenthal speculated whether the Dodgers’ delaying Ohtani’s IL placement has something to do with the player’s unwillingness. The insider wondered whether Ohtani had deliberately downplayed his injury in front of the team’s trainers, all to avoid an IL stint.
Though it is unclear whether Ohtani has downplayed his injuries or not, he did not tell the trainers about his recently injured right arm until Tuesday night. Ohtani initially felt the discomfort while swinging at a pitch the day before. Informing trainers about injuries on time is crucial for a player’s health.
“There was a swing Monday that he didn’t feel great on, hasn’t totally recovered from Monday,” manager Roberts told the media. “So the thought is to give him today and then huddle up with him, the medical staff, and figure out what the next steps.”
The next steps included placing Ohtani on the IL for the first time this season. The manager also admitted that, in hindsight, they should have placed him on the IL earlier. Apart from the left knee discomfort that has kept Ohtani from pitching since July 3, he is now dealing with new health setbacks.
He was recently sidelined for four games due to a sore neck and biceps discomfort. In fact, he went 2-for-26 in his last seven games. With the postseason this close, the Dodgers debated placing him on the IL, considering he will be sidelined for at least 15 days as a two-way player, per MLB rules. The Dodgers can backdate Ohtani’s IL placement to Tuesday, making September 23 his earliest possible return.
The Dodgers have recalled Joshua De Paula from Double-A Tulsa in a corresponding move to Ohtani’s IL placement. Now, all eyes will be on Ohtani’s recovery and whether he can return in time to make an impact when the Dodgers need him most.