The Dodgers have said repeatedly in recent weeks that Shohei Ohtani doesn’t need an extended break from hitting, as he nurses injuries to his left knee and right biceps that have kept him from pitching since July 3.
But on Thursday, in a move that had not been previously forecast, the Dodgers did not have Ohtani in their lineup for the rubber-match game against the Mariners.
It was not immediately clear if Ohtani — who has DH’d in all 11 of the Dodgers’ games since the All-Star break, when he received a lubricant injection in his ailing knee — was just getting a routine day off.
In his absence, Teoscar Hernández slotted into the DH spot and Kiké Hernández received his first start since coming off the injured list Tuesday in left field.
Some potentially notable context: Manager Dave Roberts said earlier this week Hernández was not expected to start in the Mariners’ series; signaling a potential change of plans regarding Ohtani’s status.
While Ohtani has not made a pitching start since July 3 and has not thrown a bullpen or flat-ground catch session since July 22 — when his knee suffered some “regression” after a 31-pitch session off the mound in Philadelphia — the four-time MVP had snapped out of the slump he endured during the Dodgers’ nine-game post-All-Star-break road trip.
In the first two games of this week’s Mariners series, he went 5-for-7 at the plate with a home run, two doubles, two walks, four RBIs and only one strikeout.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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