Shohei Ohtani will not pitch Sunday against the Detroit Tigers after experiencing knee discomfort during a Friday bullpen session.
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before Saturday’s 2-1 loss that Ohtani’s knee still isn’t pain free, and he’s also having minor issues with the biceps muscle that troubled him earlier in the inning.
After the game, Roberts said Ohtani would not be used against Detroit and his next pitching outing is up in the air. Tyler Glasnow, who was expected to follow Ohtani, will now start Sunday’s game.
The two-way star hasn’t pitched since throwing six innings in a 4-3 win against the San Diego Padres on July 3, and would have only pitched an inning or two on Sunday.
“The hard part right now is trying to figure out if he’s not 100% in the overall body, is it worth giving him an inning to build him up,” Roberts asked.
Ohtani has been able to hit through the problems – he’s batting .274 with 12 homers in 45 games since his last pitching performance – and the addition of Tarik Skubal has made it easier to win without him in the rotation.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
