Concerns faded as Los Angeles Dodgers players smiled at Yankee Stadium while getting ready for Game 3 of the World Series: Shohei Ohtani was expected to play Monday night, despite having a partially dislocated left shoulder.
Ohtani got injured while sliding into second base when he was caught stealing at the end of the seventh inning during Saturday night’s 4-2 win over the New York Yankees in Game 2 in Los Angeles.
Fans and teammates were uncertain if Ohtani could play this week. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts sounded confident about Ohtani being in the lineup.
“I just don’t see him not playing Game 3,” Roberts said before Sunday night’s practice. “If he feels good enough to go, then I see no reason why he wouldn’t be in there.” Ohtani did not fly with the team to New York for tests and took a separate flight.
“As far as test results, we’ve got doctors scrambling everywhere. I don’t have them,” Roberts explained. “This is more me going by the training staff, Shohei feeling good this morning, range of motion, strength.”
Ohtani was expected to arrive at the stadium for the practice, which started at 6 p.m. EDT. Roberts mentioned that Ohtani had been taking dry swings since the injury and planned to hit off a tee and take batting practice in an indoor cage.
“That’s going to be telling,” the manager said. “He’s got to still go through the workout and swing the bat, but, again, today feels better than yesterday, and our assumption is tomorrow’s going to feel better than today.”
Roberts noted that while the injury causes pain, it’s about everyone’s tolerance.
“I don’t see him being compromised,” he added. “It’s the left shoulder, which is the back shoulder. So I don’t see how that affects his hitting, if he’s able to go.”
The Dodgers, seeking their eighth title and second in five years, lead the best-of-seven Series 2-0. Walker Buehler is set to pitch Game 3 for Los Angeles against Clarke Schmidt.
“If he is able to play, willing to play, he’s going to play,” Roberts said about Ohtani. “Schmidt will know that Shohei’s in the box, so that means everything.”
Ohtani held his left forearm after being tagged out by shortstop Anthony Volpe during a feet-first slide for the last out in the seventh inning. He stayed near the base for a couple of minutes before trainers helped him off the field.
The likely NL MVP went 0 for 3 with a walk in Game 2. He is 1 for 8 in the first two games of the World Series and is batting .260 with three home runs and 10 RBIs in his first postseason in the majors.
A two-time AL MVP with the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani joined the Dodgers last December with a record 10-year, $700 million contract.
The 30-year-old Ohtani hit .310 this season, with 54 home runs, 130 RBIs, and 59 stolen bases, making him the first player to achieve at least 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in a single season. He did not pitch this season as he was recovering from elbow surgery on September 19, 2023, and has been limited to being a designated hitter.
“Any time you have probably the best baseball player in the world, I think it’s going to help and frees up some of the other guys to kind of play with a little less pressure or a little more freedom,” Buehler said.
“He’s been awesome for the clubhouse and awesome for our team, so it’s been a cool year watching him with the 50-50, just kind of the day to day and the kind of human he is, as well.”
Ohtani was one of the few Dodgers who managed to get through the season without a major injury. Almost every starting pitcher spent time on the injured list, and the team had the most injured list placements in the league with 36 and the most days on the injured list at 2,342.
Among the position players, Mookie Betts was out for nearly two months due to a broken left hand, and Max Muncy missed almost half the season with a right oblique strain. Freddie Freeman is currently playing in the postseason with a sprained right ankle.
