Dodgers shut Shohei Ohtani down from pitching, citing knee inflammation that affected his delivery

The Los Angeles Dodgers have shut Shohei Ohtani down from pitching for now because of more than the right biceps discomfort that surfaced earlier this month. Manager Dave Roberts said the club is also managing irritation in Ohtani’s left knee, which the Dodgers believe has affected his delivery and contributed to the arm issue. Ohtani will remain in the lineup as the designated hitter, but there is no timetable for his return to the mound.

The update matters because Ohtani is not just a middle-of-the-order bat, but one of the Dodgers’ top starters when healthy. His last start came July 3 against the San Diego Padres, when he threw six innings, struck out nine, allowed three runs and needed 110 pitches before exiting with right biceps discomfort. As of late July, he had a 1.79 ERA, making his absence from the rotation significant even as the Dodgers continue to get his offense.

The recent sequence has become clearer. Ohtani first dealt with left knee inflammation in mid-June, including an outing on June 11 that was cut short. Around the All-Star break, he received a lubricant injection in the knee, and the Dodgers initially hoped he would return to pitch after the break. But the knee did not get back to 100%, and after Ohtani threw a 30-pitch bullpen session on July 22, he experienced some regression in the right biceps. At that point, the Dodgers halted his throwing program and bullpen work.

Roberts said the club is taking a conservative approach so the knee issue does not keep spilling into Ohtani’s mechanics and stressing his arm.

“Trying to mitigate that, we stopped the throwing, stopped the bullpens -- hopefully, No. 1, take care of the knee and then not have him try to create velocity with the arm that’s not 100%,” Roberts said, according to MLB.com.

For now, the Dodgers are not going to push him back onto the mound until he is fully healthy. Roberts said the team has effectively “shut him down” from pitching activity for the time being, with no firm return date. The club plans to keep Ohtani at DH because, according to team officials, the knee and biceps issues do not currently affect his ability to swing or run.

Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton that the knee is improving and left open the possibility that his pitching outlook could change later in the season.

“The knee is getting better and the goal is to get to the 100% mark,” Ohtani said. “It is still July, so I think the conversation [about pitching] will be a little different if we’re in August or September.”

The Dodgers have not formally ruled out Ohtani pitching in the postseason, but Roberts made clear he is not expecting that outcome.

“Everything that I’ve heard, that’s not the option. I guess anything’s possible, but for me, it’s highly unlikely,” Roberts said, according to MLB.com.

That leaves the Dodgers balancing caution with the value of their standings position. With one of baseball’s best records and a sizable division lead, they have room to prioritize Ohtani’s health, even as his uncertainty on the mound hangs over the rotation days before the Aug. 3 trade deadline.