LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� was set to return as the leadoff hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, a day after he wasn’t in the lineup because of lingering soreness in his left knee that is keeping him off the mound.
The Dodgers open a three-game set against the Boston Red Sox.
The two-way superstar wanted to play Thursday against the Seattle Mariners, manager Dave Roberts said, but it was the team’s decision to rest him. Ohtani told the training staff of renewed soreness after Wednesday night’s .
鈥淚 appreciate the communication,鈥� Roberts said. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 read minds, the training staff can鈥檛 read minds, so just for him to communicate that then allows for us to make a decision.鈥�
Second baseman Tommy Edman went 0 for 3 in Ohtani鈥檚 place for the series finale, .
Ohtani has been dealing with knee soreness since June 11 and hasn’t pitched since July 3 while also dealing with a right biceps issue. He skipped the All-Star Game in Philadelphia to stay home and receive a lubricant injection in the knee.
He is still serving as the designated hitter. Ohtani was 5 for 7 combined in his last two games against the Mariners, with a home run, four RBIs and two runs scored.
“The last couple days he鈥檚 been on base a lot more whereas the last part of the road trip he wasn鈥檛, so there might have been a little something to that,鈥� Roberts said, adding that nothing occurred in the game Wednesday to precipitate Ohtani sitting out the next day.
The Dodgers expect Ohtani to return to pitching this season, but they’re not rushing him back to the mound.
鈥淚f there was something structural, then we would be much more concerned,鈥� Andrew Friedman, president of baseball operations, said Wednesday. 鈥淭he fact that there鈥檚 not and the fact that it does keep improving suggests that we鈥檙e on the right path.鈥�
For now, the team doesn’t have any plans to shut down Ohtani entirely to give him time to recover from his ailments.
“We’re talking about this constantly,鈥� Roberts said. 鈥淣othing should be off the table and nothing is set in stone. So I think it鈥檚 more of how he feels. With this new information we鈥檝e got to have new conversations.鈥�
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