Why Dodgers are shutting down Shohei Ohtani from pitching

17 hours ago 2

The Los Angeles Dodgers are making a huge decision with their two-way superstar.

Shohei Ohtani isn't going to make his next scheduled start.

This shouldn't be a massive surprise, but what really makes this a more important issue is that Ohtani isn't likely to pitch again for some time.

As Jack Harris of The California Post reports, the Dodgers are shutting down Ohtani from pitching for now, as his knee issue isn't going away.

Why Shohei Ohtani is getting shut down from pitching by Dodgers

"On Sunday, manager Dave Roberts announced Ohtani will not make a pitching start on Wednesday as initially expected, after the two-way star continued to feel discomfort in his bothersome left knee during catch play this weekend," Harris writes.

This is a concerning update for Ohtani, and the follow-up from Roberts doesn't exactly bode well for a quick absence from the mound for the Dodgers superstar.

"Roberts added that the team didn't know when Ohtani - who will continue to hit in the Dodgers' lineup in the meantime - would pitch again but suggested 'that is's going to be some time' before he is back on the bump," Harris reports.

While it's at least promising that Ohtani is not hitting the injured list, this injury is still going to keep him off the mound for a long time.

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His last start for the Dodgers came on July 3, and after missing his scheduled start before the All-Star break, Ohtani had treatment on his knee to hopefully get him back to the mound soon.

But that treatment evidently didn't work as planned, as the Dodgers star is now going to miss a lot of time on the mound due to this knee injury.

Ohtani's return to the mound is uncertain, and not only are the Dodgers without another pitcher, but Ohtani's chances to win the Cy Young are all but over.