Ohtani returns – Shohei Ohtani is back in the Dodgers’ starting lineup after left-knee inflammation sidelined him, hitting a 409-foot leadoff homer and scoring twice as Los Angeles beat the Chicago White Sox 7-1.
The first swing said it all. When Shohei Ohtani returned to the Dodgers’ starting lineup on Saturday, he wasted no time—taking a 1-0 fastball from White Sox right-hander Sean Burke and launching a 409-foot leadoff homer to right field.
Ohtani’s return matched the moment: exit velocity of 109.6 mph on the drive that came in the first inning. He walked three times and scored twice in a 7-1 victory over Chicago.
“I felt good waking up in the morning, I feel good now, so I’m pretty confident that I’ll be able to stay healthy and should be good to go tomorrow as well,” Ohtani said through a translator.
It was his 14th homer of the season, the latest reminder that the best version of his game is still finding its way back when he’s healthy. The blast was his fifth leadoff homer of the season and No. 29 for his career.
Teammate Mookie Betts didn’t try to soften what it means to get him back. “Obviously he’s the best player in the world, so anytime you can get the best player in the world back in your lineup, he’s definitely going to help and he showed it immediately,” Betts said.
Ohtani, 31, was designated hitter after being sidelined by inflammation in his left knee. He rested during Friday’s 8-2 loss in the series opener at Chicago. The knee inflammation first flared up Thursday night at Pittsburgh, when it forced him out during an 8-6 win over the Pirates in the seventh.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts explained the decision as precaution rather than alarm. “We took him out of the game the other night just for precautionary,” Roberts said before Saturday’s win. “Yesterday, treated it up, today he feels great. All the confidence that he can go out there and hit, feel good, not regress at all.”.
The knee has a history for Ohtani—he had surgery on his left knee in September 2019—but even with that background, he said he couldn’t pinpoint what triggered the current inflammation.
“It’s actually hard to pinpoint at what moment this happened,” Ohtani said. “All I can really know for sure is that I think my mechanics wasn’t quite great in terms of my pitching side. So I believe that had something to do with this.”
That uncertainty didn’t stop him from testing the body ahead of the game. Before Saturday’s victory, the 6-foot-4 right-hander played catch in the outfield to work through his throwing motion.
“It wasn’t 100 percent today, but I, you know, with the next three, four days, I feel pretty confident with enough recovery that I should be able to make the next start,” Ohtani said.
The next target is already on the calendar. Ohtani is scheduled to take the mound again on Wednesday against Tampa Bay. On offense this season, he’s batting .305 with 41 RBIs and 50 runs scored in 68 games for the NL West leaders. On the mound, the reigning NL MVP is 6-2 with a 1.06 ERA in 11 starts.
Dodgers rotation news also moved beneath Ohtani’s comeback. Roberts said Justin Wrobleski is expected to make his next scheduled start Tuesday against the Rays. On Thursday night, the left-hander left in the fifth inning because of a left hamstring contusion.
“Yesterday I talked to him and he is a little sore, which is understandable, but he’ll be ready to go on Tuesday,” Roberts said.
Still, even with Ohtani’s status improving, the coaching spotlight shifts briefly away from the field. Roberts—54—will miss Sunday’s series finale against the White Sox, and bench coach Danny Lehmann will run the team while Roberts attends his daughter’s college graduation.
Shohei Ohtani Los Angeles Dodgers Chicago White Sox leadoff homer knee inflammation Sean Burke Mookie Betts Dave Roberts Justin Wrobleski Tampa Bay Rays