Shohei Ohtani has been out of the Dodgers lineup for a fourth consecutive game due to undisclosed biceps problems and an issue with his left knee. The two-way player last played on Wednesday when he went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts in an extra-innings loss to the Cardinals. Manager Dave Roberts reported that Ohtani did hit during the team's indoor batting cages on Saturday night, but it is unclear if he will be ready for the next game. The Dodgers are now considering placing Ohtani on the injured list, which could allow them to backdate his absence by up to three days.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-07,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Shohei Ohtani, the two-way player for the Los Angeles Dodgers, has been out of the lineup for the fourth consecutive game due to ongoing left knee and right biceps soreness. The Dodgers are optimistic that he will return on Monday against the Cincinnati Reds, but it's still uncertain if he will make it back in time. Ohtani last played on Wednesday, going 0-for-4 with four strikeouts against the St. Louis Cardinals. He has been dealing with these issues since before the All-Star break and has not practiced for two days prior to his recent respite. If placed on the injured list, Ohtani would have to be sidelined for 15 days due to his classification as a two-way player, but the Dodgers may try to backdate an IL stint by up to three days if needed.
Written for “Shohei Ohtani Injury Update” on 2026-09-07,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 6199 · logged 2026-09-07
On the bright side, the Dodgers aren’t forcing Shohei Ohtani back on the field before he is ready.
asserted
he → force → field
On the other, well, they don’t have Ohtani for at least another game.
asserted
they → have → game
Ohtani was kept out of the Dodgers’ lineup again on Sunday, extending the two-way player’s absence to four games.
asserted
Ohtani → keep → games
In his place, Max Muncy will be the designated hitter for the Dodgers’ series finale against the Nationals.
asserted
Muncy → designate → Nationals
The Dodgers now have to decide whether to place Ohtani on the injured list.
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Dodgers → have → list
Under Major League Baseball’s rules, IL stints can be backdated by as many as three days.
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stints → backdate → days
So, if, say, Ohtani is placed on the IL on Sunday, the three games he already missed would be credited toward the minimum number of days he would have been forced to be on the IL.
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he → place → IL
Anything beyond that wouldn’t count.
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Anything → count → that
Because he is officially classified as a two-way player, he would have to be sidelined for 15 days if he is placed on the injured list.
asserted
he → classify → list
Ohtani last played on Wednesday, when he was 0-for-4 with four strikeouts in an extra-innings loss to the Cardinals.
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he → play → Cardinals
Known to be dealing with biceps problems in recent months, Ohtani was seen shaking his arm during and after his final at-bat of the game.
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Ohtani → know → game
The same left knee that was said to be responsible for his absence from the mound also appeared to limit him, as he couldn’t stay back on pitches or generate power with the lower half of his body.
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he → say → body
Ohtani has six hits in his last 46 at-bats and has homered only once in his last 21 games played outside of hitter-friendly Coors Field in Denver.
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Ohtani → have → Denver
Manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani hit in the team’s indoor batting cages on Saturday night.
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Ohtani → say → night
“During the game, all game, I think he was hitting,” Roberts said.
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Roberts → think → game
“I don’t know what intensity, but the hitting coaches said that he was swinging with some intent.”
asserted
he → know → intent
