Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani is in the starting lineup for Monday’s Game 3 of the World Series despite suffering a partially dislocated shoulder in his team’s Game 2 win over the New York Yankees. Ohtani was wearing some type of brace or sling when he was introduced at Yankee Stadium.
He got on base by leading off the game with a four-pitch walk and then was grabbing his jersey with his left arm while leading off first in an effort to stabilize his shoulder.
“I don’t see him being compromised,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters Sunday. On Monday, Roberts added that tests showed no structural damage in Ohtani’s shoulder.
Ohtani underwent an MRI on his left shoulder after getting hurt on a stolen-base attempt during the bottom of the seventh inning of World Series Game 2 on Saturday. Roberts after the game told reporters Ohtani suffered a subluxation of his left shoulder.
Roberts said how Ohtani responded to a Sunday workout at Yankee Stadium — where he was expected to do activities like like dry swings and tee work — was “going to be telling” and that “if he is able to play, willing to play, he’s going to play.” Ohtani, baseball’s unique two-way superstar, has not pitched this season after undergoing surgery on his right elbow last fall. He has been the Dodgers’ designated hitter and leadoff man in every playoff game this October.
One possible concern is that if Ohtani plays through pain and some level of structural instability in his shoulder he might wind up making the injury worse. “Once we make the decision that he can play,” Roberts said when asked of such concerns, “I would assume that there isn’t a possibility [that he makes it worse].”
Ohtani left Dodger Stadium before talking to the media on Saturday and did not address reporters on Sunday.
Here’s a look at the play as Ohtani was injured while making a feet-first slide into second base:
Ohtani, 30, is the favorite to win the National League Most Valuable Player Award after an historic season that saw him become the first player in Major League Baseball history to hit more than 50 home runs and steal more than 50 bases in the same season. Overall, he batted .310/.390/.646 (190 OPS+) with 54 home runs, 130 runs batted in, and 59 stolen bases (on 63 attempts). His contributions were worth an estimated 9.2 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball-Reference’s calculations.
Ohtani is a right-handed pitcher, meaning that this left shoulder injury should not have any impact on his subsequent throwing recovery. As it stands, he’s not expected to pitch again until the start of the 2025 campaign.
