One MLB superstar is readying his highly anticipated return to action, while another will be out even longer.
Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, by many measures the league’s most popular player, is expected to be activated from the injured list as soon as Wednesday. After slumping heavily through much of August, Ohtani went on the IL on Sept. 9 with issues with his right biceps and left knee.
Ohtani still won’t be pitching upon his return—he hasn’t thrown since early July—but his presence back in the Dodgers lineup will be a boost for the club as it seeks a third-straight MLB championship. His activation could also be a sizable viewership boon for Fox, which will broadcast this year’s National League Division Series and Championship Series, as well as the World Series.
“There’s a good chance [that] next series we’ll see him,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, referring to the club’s series against the Padres starting Tuesday night, the Dodgers’ final homestand of the regular season.
The Dodgers have a solid hold on the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the National League playoffs. The broader NL playoff picture, however, remains highly muddled and could be impacted by weather issues this weekend.
Pinstripe Worries
Conversely, Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, perhaps Ohtani’s top rival in fame among MLB players, is grappling with a nagging calf injury and is now expected to miss next week’s Wild Card series, likely against the Red Sox.
Judge returned to action earlier this month after missing 99 days with a fractured rib, but he went back to the IL last Saturday with a right calf strain. The latest injury is graded as moderate, and Judge received a platelet-poor plasma (PPP) injection on Monday to help treat it. Just as Fox stands to gain with Ohtani playing again, NBC Sports will miss Judge’s presence as it has exclusive rights to the MLB Wild Card games.
“We’re planning on him not being a part of that,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Judge playing in the postseason series against Boston.
The latest statuses for Ohtani and Judge essentially reverse the situation from two weeks ago, when Judge was activated from the IL and Ohtani went on it.
