​Shohei Ohtani homered for the third time in four games on Friday, but he did not take the mound for his scheduled pitching start against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Dodgers star will have his left knee drained on Sunday and will miss the All-Star Game, with the plan to use the upcoming week for rest and to be ready to pitch again soon after the break. Ohtani told reporters Friday night that the decision to pause his pitching schedule came after weeks of left knee irritation.
As Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register noted, the aim is to throw on a regular schedule again. “Although I could’ve started today, it would’ve still been pushing the envelope a little bit,” Ohtani said. “But my every intention is to use the off days to make sure I’m in a good place to be in the rotation.”
Kiké Hernández has been sidelined since May 27 with a strained left oblique, but he indicated on Friday that he expects to begin a minor league rehab assignment during the Dodgers’ nine-game road trip immediately following the All-Star break. Maddie Lee of the Los Angeles Times has more details on Hernández’s timeline.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto is scheduled to start for the Dodgers on Saturday. He was named an All-Star for the second consecutive season, but his availability to pitch in the midsummer classic on Tuesday, with two days of rest, remains undetermined. Jacob Gurvis of MLB.com reported Friday that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts viewed the decision as evolving: “That’s a good one. I don’t know that answer. For me, that’s a read-and-react. Let’s just get him through his start and we’ll see how he feels. And also, if he really wants it and it makes sense, then we’ll have that conversation.”
If Yamamoto cannot pitch Tuesday, the most straightforward path could open for Justin Wrobleski to be considered as a replacement on the National League All-Star roster. The situation creates a potential opportunity for Wrobleski to be named as a substitute if Yamamoto is unavailable for the Midsummer Classic.
In the meantime, Ohtani’s workload management will be the focal point for the Dodgers as they navigate the rest period ahead of the second half. The plan emphasizes using the break to reset physically, ensuring he can rejoin the rotation in a healthy and effective manner. The All-Star break adds an extra layer of timing to the Dodgers’ decisions, with the team weighing Ohtani’s health, the integrity of the pitching staff, and the long-term goal of keeping him capable of delivering high-end performances down the stretch.