Los Angeles Dodgers’ star designated hitter Shohei Ohtani had to leave the game against the San Diego Padres on Saturday night after his fourth time at bat due to back tightness, as confirmed by manager Dave Roberts.
Ohtani didn’t manage to get a hit in his first three at-bats but drew a walk. However, when he grounded out to the pitcher in the seventh inning, it became evident that his back was bothering him. He was substituted by pinch-hitter Kiké Hernández in the ninth inning.
Roberts explained, “His back tightened up… We didn’t want to take any risks, especially with our lead. We’ll monitor his condition tomorrow.”
Although Roberts indicated that his concern was not severe, he leaned towards giving Ohtani a break on Sunday as a precautionary measure.
Ohtani, who signed a lucrative contract with the Dodgers last December, has been outstanding in this season. He leads all of baseball with a 1.090 OPS and has a batting average of .352, second only to Cleveland’s Steven Kwan (.353). Additionally, Ohtani ranks among the league leaders with 11 home runs and 27 RBIs.
