The physical strain could be catching up with MLB’s biggest superstar.
Dodgers two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani, while still pacing a Los Angeles team tied for MLB’s best record entering Wednesday’s games, is seeing an on-field downturn largely unprecedented in his legendary nine-year career. Among the latest developments:
- Ohtani has not pitched in a game since July 3, and a timetable to the mound remains uncertain. After getting his left knee drained over the All-Star break, forcing him to miss the Midsummer Classic, pain is not only still there, but is now joined by discomfort in his right bicep. The ongoing pitching absence has entirely derailed prior conversation from the spring about Ohtani being in the mix for this year’s National League Cy Young Award.
- At the plate, Ohtani in July is closing out what could be his worst offensive month in nearly six years—even after getting three hits, including a home run, and a walk on Tuesday. Since MLB play resumed after the All-Star Game, Ohtani is hitting just .238 with that lone homer.
- Ohtani remains the betting favorite to win the NL Most Valuable Player Award for a third consecutive season, but Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has closed the gap considerably in recent weeks. As Ohtani has slumped and Crow-Armstrong has surged, their offensive statistics are now essentially equal, while Crow-Armstrong has a higher figure for wins over replacement (WAR). Ohtani is now playing only as a designated hitter, while Crow-Armstrong is an elite defensive player at a premium position.
Given the many twists and turns of any six-month regular season in MLB, Ohtani’s current struggles could soon vanish and be forgotten. But even Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, long one of Ohtani’s biggest boosters, recently acknowledged that “the quality of contact since the break has gone down considerably. …I feel like he’s just not squaring the baseball up.”
While still in the lineup every day, Ohtani said he is taking a measured timetable in his recovery as he keeps the October postseason squarely in mind. As of now, the Dodgers are hoping to build Ohtani back up to be able to pitch in playoff games, but even if that happens, it would be an extended process.
“Do we consider pushing this?” Ohtani said through his interpreter. “It is still July. So I think the conversation would be a little different if we’re in August or September.”
With the Dodgers’ runs to back-to-back World Series titles in 2024 and 2025, Ohtani has played in 415 regular-season games in the last two and a half years and 33 more in the playoffs.
Meanwhile, Ohtani’s slide marks the latest in an altered period in 2026 for many of MLB’s biggest stars and fan draws. Yankees superstar and two-time defending American League MVP Aaron Judge has been out of action since late May with a fractured rib, and a schedule for his return is also unknown. Defending AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal previously missed more than a month of the season with an elbow injury, and could be on the cusp of being traded. Defending NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes has seen his ERA nearly double this year.
Each of the four players is a major driver of attendance, viewership, and merchandise sales.
