Dodgers announce Ohtani will miss scheduled start, future pitching timeline unclear

Shohei Ohtani’s left knee continues to limit his ability to pitch, prompting Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to confirm the two-way star will sit out his scheduled start on Wednesday against the Philadelphia Phillies. Ohtani will remain in his regular designated-hitter role, but the team has not set a date for his next mound appearance.

"Where we’re at right now, how we’re proceeding, I would say that it’s going to be some time. I’d say that it’s not going to be a day-to-day thing," Roberts told reporters.

Roberts added that the decision is precautionary and that the Dodgers are positioned well in the National League West, allowing them to prioritize Ohtani’s health over immediate pitching needs.

"Honestly, a lot of it is where we’re at and how we’ve put ourselves in a good spot… Could he probably do it? Sure. But right now, the benefits just don’t seem to outweigh the cost at this time of the season," he said.

Ohtani last pitched on July 3, allowing three earned runs over six innings in a 4-3 victory over San Diego. Since then, his ERA has risen to 4.38 over 24 2/3 innings, a change attributed to knee irritation and natural regression after an earlier 0.74 ERA stretch. The Dodgers have managed his workload carefully, giving him rest days around his starts and limiting his DH duties on pitching days.

The team emphasized that preserving Ohtani’s health for a potential postseason run remains a priority, noting that his batting performance has not been affected; he recorded two hits in an 8-2 win over New York earlier in the day. With other starters Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow on the 60-day injured list, Los Angeles still has several arms—Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Justin Wrobleski, Roki Sasaki, Emmet Sheehan and Eric Lauer—to sustain its rotation while Ohtani recovers.