Dave Roberts didn’t sugarcoat it: if he could go back to last Monday, he’d put Shohei Ohtani on the injured list. The Dodgers manager made that admission on September 9 — before Ohtani’s sixth absence from the lineup in seven days — after the Japanese star felt discomfort in his right arm during a swing on September 7 and didn’t tell the training staff until the following night. The regret is real. The actual roster move, as of that evening, still wasn’t.
What Roberts Said — and What He Still Hasn’t Done
Roberts confirmed to reporters that the IL is ‘on the table’ for Ohtani, but no formal move had been announced by the end of September 9. That gap matters. There’s a difference between regretting something publicly and actually pulling the trigger, and the Dodgers are still in the first camp.
Roberts also revealed the team has now made it clear to Ohtani: report any physical issue immediately. The problem was the sequence — Ohtani played Monday, felt something off in his arm during a swing, and said nothing to the medical staff until Tuesday night. Those lost hours are what frustrated the coaching staff and, according to Roberts, are what would have changed the decision they made — or didn’t make — last week.
Why the IL Isn’t a Simple Call for a Two-Way Player
Here’s the wrinkle: MLB rules require that a player classified as a two-way player — someone who pitches and hits regularly, like Ohtani — can only be placed on the 15-day IL, not the 10-day IL available to everyone else. That’s a steeper time cost. And a placement can only be backdated three days, meaning if the Dodgers acted on September 9, Ohtani’s earliest possible return would be around September 18.
With Los Angeles sitting at 88-57, 10.5 games ahead of Arizona in the NL West but keeping a close eye on the Atlanta Braves for postseason seeding, every day without their best hitter carries real weight.
And the arm isn’t the only concern. According to Dodger Blue, Roberts acknowledged he doesn’t know whether Ohtani will take the mound again in the 2026 regular season. Shutting him down as a pitcher is, in Roberts’ own words, ‘certainly an option.’ Ohtani’s last start came on July 3, when he carried an 8-2 record and a 1.79 ERA across 14 starts. His throwing progression has been on pause ever since.
At the plate, the numbers tell a troubling story too: Ohtani has posted a .545 OPS since August 18, including a 7-for-51 stretch before this latest setback. For a hitter with a season-long average exit velocity of 93.2 mph (97th percentile) and a 15.8% barrel rate, those late-season numbers are almost unrecognizable. Something hasn’t been right for weeks.
His First IL Stint as a Dodger
If the move happens, it would mark the first time Ohtani lands on the injured list in Dodger blue. In 2024, even while recovering from his September 2023 UCL surgery, he played nearly every day as the designated hitter. Last season was his return to the mound; 2026 was supposed to be his first full year pitching as a Dodger.
That this is where things stand now — with a sore biceps, a left knee issue, a neck problem, and his manager publicly wishing he’d acted sooner — says a lot about how the summer ended in Los Angeles.
The Dodgers are still the team to beat in the National League. But the question of which version of Ohtani shows up in October is very real, and Roberts has stopped pretending otherwise.
Ohtani’s 2026 Numbers, Both Ways
At the plate (596 plate appearances):
- 30 home runs, 80 RBI
- AVG: .277 | OPS: .902
- xwOBA: .399 (99th percentile in MLB)
- 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 (14 starts, 85.2 innings):
- ERA: 1.79 | WHIP: 0.95
- 95 strikeouts, 26 walks (27.9% strikeout rate)
- xERA: 2.72 (95th percentile)
- Average fastball: 97.8 mph with 2,459 rpm spin
- Whiff rate: 30.4% (86th percentile)
- Opponents batting average: .180
- Exit velocity allowed: 87.4 mph | Barrel rate allowed: 3.8% (94th percentile in barrels avoided)
