Shohei Ohtani is out of the Dodgers lineup again Wednesday, September 9 — and what started as a «precautionary rest» is starting to sound like something more serious. Manager Dave Roberts confirmed Ohtani hasn’t fully recovered from a swing on Monday that «didn’t feel great,» and the team is now weighing its next steps, including a 15-day IL stint.
The backdrop makes it heavier: since August 18, Ohtani had posted an OPS of just .545 — going 7-for-51 in that stretch — before this latest setback.
The Promise Roberts Couldn’t Keep
Tuesday night, Roberts said explicitly that Ohtani would be in the lineup the next day. Less than 24 hours later, he took him out and explained why.
The swing in question came Monday, September 7, when Ohtani returned after a four-game absence. He went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and a walk in LA’s 6-3 win over the Reds — and something in that swing didn’t close right. Roberts said the team would meet internally to determine what comes next. A trip to the IL, he confirmed, is on the table.
As of Wednesday, Ohtani has been out of the lineup in 5 of the last 6 games. Freddie Freeman was also out that day with right knee discomfort, though Roberts ruled out the IL for him.
Why the 15-Day IL Complicates Everything
It’s not just the time missed — it’s the type of time. Under MLB rules, a player classified as a two-way player — like Ohtani — can only go on the 15-day IL, not the 10-day. That means any decision to place him there costs LA a minimum of two weeks in September, the month when playoff seeding gets decided.
Roberts had already acknowledged that pressure publicly, calling the 15-day rule «more of a deterrent» to making the move. The real dilemma is mathematical: how much does losing Ohtani in September cost LA versus the risk of him arriving broken in October?
The stakes are clear. The Dodgers are chasing their third straight World Series title and need a productive Ohtani in October — not the version that hit .137 over his last 13 games before the four-day absence. In that same stretch, Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong took the lead in NL MVP voting.
Roberts had already admitted on September 3, after Ohtani went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts against the Cardinals, that he was not «close to being optimal.» Nagging issues in his right biceps, left knee and neck have been building since early September, and Monday’s swing was the signal that the body still isn’t ready.
What Ohtani’s 2026 Looked Like Before the Slide
The August-September decline stands in sharp contrast to the season Ohtani was having. As a hitter, he came into this stretch with 30 home runs, 80 RBI and a .902 OPS across 596 plate appearances — with an xwOBA of .399 per Statcast, which places him in the 99th percentile across all of MLB.
On the mound, through his last start on July 3, he carried a 1.79 ERA over 85.2 innings with 95 strikeouts. His WHIP sat at 0.95. Roberts called it unlikely that Ohtani would pitch again in the 2026 regular season, and MLB.com projects his return to the mound in 2027.
The Numbers Behind the Player
At the plate (2026):
- 596 plate appearances
- 30 home runs · 80 RBI
- AVG: .277 · OPS: .902
- xwOBA: .399 (99th percentile)
- Average exit velocity: 93.2 mph (97th percentile)
- Barrel rate: 15.8% (97th percentile)
- Hard-hit rate: 51.5% (94th percentile)
- Average bat speed: 74.6 mph (79th percentile)
On the mound (2026):
- 14 starts · 85.2 innings
- ERA: 1.79 · WHIP: 0.95
- 95 strikeouts against 26 walks (27.9% strikeout rate)
- xERA: 2.72 (95th percentile)
- Average fastball: 97.8 mph with 2,459 rpm spin rate (93rd percentile)
- Whiff rate: 30.4% (86th percentile)
- Opponent batting average: .180
- Average exit velocity allowed: 87.4 mph
- Barrel rate allowed: 3.8% (94th percentile in barrels avoided)
The full-season numbers are elite across the board. The problem isn’t the body of work — it’s what’s happened over the last few weeks, and whether the Dodgers can afford to find out the hard way how serious it really is.
