NEW YORK — This has become more than a precautionary measure. This has become a problem.
The Dodgers’ season is riding on Shohei Ohtani’s left knee, and the discomfort felt by the two-way player in that knee is severe enough to where he won’t be able to pitch for “some time,” according to manager Dave Roberts.
“It’s not going to be a day-to-day thing,” Roberts said.
In other words, it’s more of a week-to-week thing, which could make it a championship-threatening thing.
As much as Roberts sounded certain Ohtani would pitch again this season, what can the Dodgers count on him to do on the mound in October?
As much as Roberts insisted that Ohtani was unaffected by his knee problems when hitting, how certain could they be that it won’t impede him in the batter’s box at some point?
Considering Ohtani’s importance to the team, every aspect of this development was alarming.
Roberts made a valiant effort to downplay Ohtani’s injury, but he wasn’t entirely convincing.
“Honestly, a lot of it is where we’re at and how we’ve put ourselves in a good spot,” Roberts said. “Could he probably do it? Sure. But right now, the benefits just don’t seem to outweigh the cost at this time of the season.”
But just a couple of weeks ago, after his most recent start, Ohtani said that as frustrated as he was to pitch with knee pain, he was satisfied to be able to make each of his scheduled starts.
“I always want to play when I can,” Ohtani said in Japanese. “It’s not as if you can be in perfect condition every time you play.”
So, has the condition of his knee worsened since?
Ohtani skipped his previous turn in the rotation. He didn’t play in the All-Star Game. Roberts said his knee was injected with a lubricant after the Dodgers’ final game leading into the All-Star break.
The decision to shut down Ohtani from pitching was made before he had a chance to throw a bullpen session.
Feeling what he felt playing catch this week, Roberts said, “was enough for him to talk to the trainers and feel that there was no need to test it with a bullpen [when] he already knew the answer.”
While Roberts said the Dodgers were “erring on the side of caution,” he couldn’t offer clarity on when Ohtani would pitch again.
“Don’t know yet,” he said.
Asked if there was a chance Ohtani might not pitch again this season, Roberts replied, “No. I guess anything is possible, but I just don’t think that’s a possibility.”
Let’s take Roberts at his word.
Let’s assume the Dodgers have temporarily removed Ohtani from their rotation out of extreme caution.
Their situation is disconcerting nonetheless.
If Ohtani doesn’t pitch for a month, how will he throw when he returns?
Ohtani thinks of himself as a natural hitter and self-taught pitcher, meaning he would likely want to be pitching regularly entering the postseason.
The Dodgers would have to strike a balance between getting him enough repetitions on the mound without overworking him to where he breaks down again.
And make no mistake: The Dodgers need Ohtani on the mound, regardless of whether they acquire Tarik Skubal or any other starter before the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
Blake Snell has just started a minor-league rehabilitation assignment. Tyler Glasnow still hasn’t pitched to hitters.
The greater concern is that Ohtani could also be impaired as a hitter by his knee.
Ohtani was the designated hitter in the Dodgers’ series opener at Yankee Stadium on Friday and again in the two games of a doubleheader Sunday.
“He did this pitching,” Roberts said. “When he does swing the bat, it’s the back knee versus the land knee.”
But Roberts used to talk about Ohtani pitching like that, saying the knee problem was something he could pitch through.
Roberts was right — until he wasn’t.
In the days leading up to the All-Star break, Ohtani revealed that the discomfort he was experiencing was in his kneecap — the same kneecap on which he underwent surgery seven years ago.
Playing the pandemic-shortened 2020 season with a weakened left knee, Ohtani batted a career-worst .190 for the Angels.
For what it’s worth, he’s continued to look like a capable offensive player.
In the early game Sunday, Ohtani doubled in a run and scored from second base on a single by Freddie Freeman in the third inning of an 8-2 victory over the Yankees. He drove in another run on an eighth-inning single.
But in the fifth inning, he grabbed his ailing knee after fouling a pitch off it. He grounded out in that particular at-bat, after which he jogged back to the dugout gingerly.
Breaths were held.
Between now and the end of the season, many more will be. This will be the new normal for the Dodgers, who will spend the coming weeks fearing the worst and praying for the best.
