Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani will not return to the Dodgers’ starting rotation as scheduled. Ohtani, who had his knee drained over the All-Star break and is managing the injury while he continues to serve as their designated hitter, was supposed to start on Wednesday, but that plan has changed.

“It’s gonna be some time, and I’d say that it’s not gonna be a day-to-day thing,” manager Dave Roberts told reporters Sunday (via MLB.com). 

“We just want to continue to give (the knee) the best chance to get into a good spot,” he said (via The Athletic).

Ohtani served as the Dodgers’ DH and leadoff man on Friday and is in that spot for the first game of the doubleheader on Sunday. Whatever discomfort he’s still feeling while pitching is clearly not enough to stop him from hitting.

Some things to keep in mind here: 

• Ohtani only threw 67 ⅓ innings last season in his return from Tommy John surgery. He did not have a minor-league rehab assignment, as he and the Dodgers prioritized getting him back into the lineup as quickly as possible as the full-time DH, so that was the entirety of his pitching output in 2025.
• This season, Ohtani has already worked 85 ⅔ innings on the mound. 
• The two-time defending champion Dodgers have a 12-game lead in the NL West, which is to say that they have the luxury to slow play Ohtani’s return to the mound as they eye another deep October run and don’t want to overtax his arm. 
• Do the math. If this were any other starter, the Dodgers would use the knee injury as an opportunity to put Ohtani on the IL and preserve his workload. But he’s not, so they’re keeping him in the lineup.

Something else to watch? With Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell currently on the injured list and concerns around a few other starters, it’s always possible the Dodgers try to grab a frontline starter before the Aug. 3 trade deadline.