LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� wasn’t in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ lineup on Friday night because he is 鈥渁way from the team on paternity.鈥�
The team announced in a post on X that the two-way superstar is expected to return this weekend, meaning he wasn’t placed on MLB’s paternity list.
Manager Dave Roberts said after a over the Baltimore Orioles that he hopes Ohtani returns Saturday but he had not talked to him.
Roberts said he found out 鈥渧ery recently鈥� that Ohtani was going to be a father again.
鈥淜eeping his privacy,鈥� Roberts said, smiling.
The team’s lineup for Friday’s series opener came out less than an hour before gametime, with Ryan Ward listed as the designated hitter batting seventh.
Asked three hours before the game about the delayed lineup, Roberts said he was working out 鈥渟ome things with some position players鈥� and made no mention of Ohtani.
Roberts was asked about Ohtani’s sore left knee and said he had not spoken to him Friday.
鈥淛ust assuming that after the off day he’s in a good spot,鈥� the manager said.
Roberts often mentions if a player is expecting a baby, and the team typically announces when they have been placed on paternity leave.
Ohtani, who turns 32 on July 5, and his 29-year-old wife, Mamiko Tanaka, became first-time parents in April 2025 with the . He first announced on social media in December 2024 that the couple was expecting.
The famously private Ohtani has never publicly revealed her name and has carefully avoided showing her face in the rare family photos he posts to his social media.
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