Shohei Ohtani misses third straight game with injury

Shohei Ohtani missed his third consecutive game for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday as he continues to deal with discomfort in his left knee and right biceps.

The Dodgers defeated the Washington Nationals 6-5, with Tommy Edman and Teoscar Hernandez producing important hits as Los Angeles rallied for the victory.

Ohtani’s absence marked the first time he has missed three straight games since joining the Dodgers ahead of the 2024 season on a 10-year, $700 million contract.

Before the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani had shown some progress and was scheduled to take batting practice in the indoor cages.

The Japanese star had not swung a bat on Thursday or Friday, although Roberts did not rule out the possibility of using him as a pinch-hitter.

The Dodgers are also considering placing Ohtani on the injured list. If the move is made by Sunday, it could be backdated by a maximum of three days to Thursday, when he was first left out of the line-up against the St Louis Cardinals.

Although Ohtani has been used exclusively as a designated hitter since his last pitching appearance on 2 July, his status as a two-way player means he would be required to spend at least 15 days on the injured list.

"That'd be more of a deterrent," Roberts said.

Ohtani has struggled at the plate recently, going 7-for-51 (.137) with one home run in his last 13 games.

"I feel that it's gotten a lot better given his demeanor the last couple days," Roberts said. "What I have learned about Shohei is when he doesn't feel well, physically, he gets more short, and it's just not the same personality, which makes sense. And so I think the last couple days he's gotten a lot more loose and easy-going."

Ohtani is batting .279 with 30 home runs and 80 RBIs this season, while also posting an 8-2 record and a 1.79 ERA in 14 pitching starts.