Toronto Star
· collected 2026-10-03 · by Beth Harris The Associated Press
Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers is dealing with injuries to his right biceps, left knee, and neck that have affected his performance since returning from the injured list just before the postseason began. Despite feeling better physically, Ohtani’s health remains uncertain for the upcoming National League Division Series against Atlanta. Manager Dave Roberts acknowledges Ohtani's potential but expresses caution due to limited recent at-bats, noting that Ohtani is still managing pain and making adjustments.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-03,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Even Shohei Ohtani isn’t sure the extent of injuries to his right biceps, left knee and neck that kept him off the mound after the All-Star break and landed him on the injured list for the first time with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
asserted
that → keep → Dodgers
“I haven’t been able to get a good grasp of the root cause of all this, so I think that process is going to happen during the offseason when I’m going have a little bit more time to be able to address it,” he said Friday through a translator.
asserted
he → get → translator
“As of now, it’s something I’m just going to have to manage.”
asserted
I → ’ → ?
Ohtani’s health is key to the Dodgers’ hopes of winning a third consecutive World Series championship, starting Saturday against Atlanta in Game 1 of the National League Division Series.
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health → win → Series
Manager Dave Roberts isn’t sure what Ohtani can deliver.
asserted
Ohtani → deliver → what
“I know that once the lights turn on, the postseason starts, the focus will be heightened,” he said.
asserted
he → know → ?
“I expect good things.
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I → expect → things
I really do.
asserted
I → do → ?
We just haven’t seen it enough for me to forecast it.”
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me → see → it
The two-way superstar came off the IL with just five games remaining in the regular season.
asserted
superstar → come → season
The Dodgers have said Ohtani is feeling better since his return, and Roberts believes his at-bat quality showed improvement.
asserted
quality → say → improvement
“(My body) feels really good overall,” Ohtani said.
asserted
Ohtani → feel → ?
“I do feel like my swing is in a better place — it feels smooth.
asserted
it → feel → place
Ohtani was single when he went on the IL twice during his six years with the Los Angeles Angels.
asserted
he → go → Angels
He’s now married and a father of two, with his son arriving in late June to join a daughter born in April 2025.
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son → ’ → April
“If I’d been by myself this time, I probably would have had a lot more time to think about everything, and I imagine it would have been much harder mentally,” he said in Japanese.
asserted
he → have → Japanese
“But I had a house full of people around me, so that made a big difference in terms of how I felt.”
asserted
I → have → terms
Ohtani throws right-handed and bats left-handed.
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Ohtani → throw → ?
He explained that he was better able to use his left arm with his daughter.
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he → explain → daughter
His infant son, however, requires two arms to hold, which limited him because of the injury to his right biceps.
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which → require → biceps
Ohtani took live batting practice against countryman Yoshinobu Yamamoto earlier in the week.
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Ohtani → take → week
The last time they’d faced each other was in 2017 in Nippon Professional Baseball, when Ohtani struck out and singled off Yamamoto.
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Ohtani → face → Yamamoto
“I think it was a valuable experience for both of us in terms of getting some game-like repetitions.
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it → think → repetitions
I got to take a few at-bats and see all of his different pitches,” Ohtani said in Japanese.
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Ohtani → get → Japanese
It felt fresh and exciting.
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It → feel → ?
His stuff also felt quite different from what I remembered.”
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I → feel → what
Braves’ strained rotation
The Braves’ rotation is seriously strained coming into the Division Series.
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rotation → come → Series
Their three-game win over the Philadelphia Phillies in the Wild Card Series forced ace Chris Sale into pitching the final four outs on short rest Thursday night.
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win → force → rest
He threw 95 pitches while starting Game 1, leaving his possible start against the Dodgers in Game 2 of the NLDS up in the air.
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He → throw → air
“A lot of it’s going to depend on how Chris feels.
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Chris → go → it
Certainly don’t want to jeopardize him and his health,” manager Walt Weiss said Friday.
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Weiss → want → him
“He’s had to grind here recently, so we’re going to err on the side of giving him more rest, if it’s even close.
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it → have → rest
On Thursday, the Braves ruled out starters Martín Pérez (back) and Bryce Elder (knee) for the NLDS.
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Braves → rule → NLDS
“There’s a chance we’re going to have to pitch a lot of innings out of our bullpen, especially the first couple games,” Weiss said.
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Weiss → ’ → bullpen
“We’ll have to add some arms to the roster.”
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We → have → roster
The Braves had a late night after eliminating the Phillies and then traveling Friday to Los Angeles, where the Dodgers have been resting and preparing for five days.
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Dodgers → have → days
“My world is spinning right now,” Weiss said.
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Weiss → spin → ?
High heat
Los Angeles is under an extreme heat warning, and it’s expected to continue into late next week.
asserted
it → expect → week
Saturday’s forecast calls for a high temperature of 100 degrees (38 Celsius) for the day game, when Tarik Skubal takes the mound for the Dodgers.
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Skubal → call → Dodgers
“I know the pitchers are going to have a hard time,” Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani said.
asserted
Ohtani → know → time
…and 11 more, not listed.
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