LOS ANGELES — With the wear and tear of two-way duties starting to add up, Shohei Ohtani will make his start from the mound against the Tampa Bay Rays as expected Wednesday afternoon but with all eyes on his balky left knee.
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Ohtani last took the mound last Wednesday in Pittsburgh when he gave up a season high four runs (three earned) over 6⅔ innings.
One day later, he was lifted in the seventh inning against the Pirates for a pinch hitter. He had experienced knee discomfort while running the bases and was diagnosed with inflammation. He then sat out the opener of a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox on Friday.
Ohtani will have four consecutive games of playing time as the designated hitter heading into his start Wednesday. He also threw a light bullpen session on Tuesday to give the knee one last test from the slope of a mound, but that effort did come a day later than usual.
Ohtani’s value to the club is undeniable. He is not only the top hitter for one of the major league’s best offenses, he is 6-2 with a 1.06 ERA from the mound and has not hid his desire to also be considered one of baseball’s best pitchers.
“We’re certainly mindful that he wants to be out there, he wants to make his start,” Manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday. “But the catch play, how he feels, the swelling is completely dissipated. So those signs right there give us confidence that he’s going to be fine. But yeah, we’ll certainly have a watchful eye on him.”
Ohtani admitted that his knee was not exactly at 100% during a flat ground throwing session Saturday, but it did not sound as if he was far from full strength.
He has worked this week to correct a mechanical flaw that he has blamed for the knee soreness.
“Closing himself off (during his delivery) might have kind of added to the stress on the front knee,” Roberts said. “So there might be like a little tweak to kind of keep it a little straighter or open.”
Roberts seems so confident in Ohtani’s improved health that he has not ruled out full two-way duties Wednesday as the designated hitter. He has kept Ohtani out of the batting order four times in his 11 pitching starts this season.
“I think (it’s) just kind of seeing how he comes out of today,” Roberts said. “I think the more information is better.”
One consideration is that the Dodgers have a noon start on Wednesday to close out the series against the Rays.
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“Yeah, he likes his sleep,” Roberts said. “(The early start) is certainly not ideal. But I think that the calendar’s a calendar, and so he’ll get his rest and do what he can do to post (Wednesday).”
MAN OF MANY GLOVES
Tommy Edman was officially added to the roster for the first time this season and spent his first game in a reserve role. Primarily a second baseman and center fielder since joining the Dodgers in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2024, he will have a different assignment on Wednesday.
Edman said his first start of 2026 will come at third base as Max Muncy gets a day off with the early start. Time at second base and left field will also be required, although Edman has made just six starts in left field during a six-year career.
“I talked to the guys, and it sounds like I’ll bounce around a decent amount,” Edman said Tuesday. “… That’s kind of what I’ve come to expect over my career, is just filling in wherever needed and just playing a bunch of different spots.”
Edman initially was hesitant to have surgery on an injury he has played through for at least two years.
“After speaking with a doctor, we kind of determined that it was gonna have a high success, high probability of getting back to 100%, so decided to go through with it,” Edman said. “It’s feeling great now, took maybe a little longer than I would’ve expected, but I’m back to feeling normal again.”
As expected, Santiago Espinal was designated for assignment to open a roster spot. It was the second time Espinal was DFA’d by the Dodgers in three weeks.
BEST FOOT FORWARD
Right-hander Brock Stewart has pitched in more minor-league rehab games (10), than major-league games (six) since rejoining the Dodgers last season but is close to returning to the majors.
Stewart, who has been out since May 9 with bone spurs in his left foot, had rehab outings at Class-A Ontario on Friday and Sunday and will be lined up for outings on consecutive days before he returns soon. The location of his back-to-back has not been revealed.
“Once he passes those tests then there will be a real conversation to get him back with us,” Roberts said.
UP NEXT
Rays (LHP Shane McClanahan, 6-4, 3.23 ERA) at Dodgers (RHP Shohei Ohtani, 6-2, 1.06 ERA), Wednesday, noon, SportsNet LA, 570 AM, 1020 AM
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