WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced that two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani will not pitch Wednesday against the Athletics, with the team opting to give the Japanese star some extra rest instead.
The Dodgers are currently working through a stretch of 13 games in 13 consecutive days, and Roberts decided this was the right moment to ease the load on Ohtani. His next time on the mound is now set for Friday in San Diego.
“If there’s any opportunity to give him some extra rest, we’re going to try to take advantage of it,” Roberts said. “So pushing him to Friday allows us to have him still take two starts before the break and get on two division opponents. In that vein, there’s just no downside. This made too much sense.”
On the mound this season, Ohtani has been dominant. The four-time MVP carries an 8-2 record with a 1.58 ERA across 13 starts, racking up 82 strikeouts and issuing just 24 walks over 79 and two-thirds innings pitched.
Rather than sitting out entirely, Ohtani will still appear in Wednesday’s series finale against Oakland — this time in the designated hitter role.
Roberts made clear the decision was about the schedule, not any concern over Ohtani’s health.
“It’s mostly schedule-driven,” Roberts said. “We talked to Shohei and he was agreeing to whatever we felt, knowing it’s best for him. There’s no downside with him losing starts, get more rest. That was the whole driver.”
With Ohtani unavailable to pitch Wednesday, Roberts said the Dodgers will rely on their bullpen to cover the game.
