The Los Angeles Dodgers became reliant on the arm of Shohei Ohtani. Now Dave Roberts wants to give it a rest. Right before L.A. takes on the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Ohtani will not take the mound for the remainder of the weekday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic revealed Wednesday. Ardaya dove into the real reason why Ohtani won't throw.
“Shohei Ohtani was ‘under the weather' yesterday, Dave Roberts said. Obviously can still hit but didn’t feel great throwing his side session because of the illness,” Ardaya said.
However, this move doesn't mean the Dodgers and Roberts will completely rest the versatile star.
“Ohtani will pitch ‘sometime this weekend,'” Ardaya said.
Shohei Ohtani to still play in Dodgers vs. Pirates?
Ohtani again becomes a scratch for the starting pitcher role. But he's expected to take his swings as he returns to designated hitting duties for the Wednesday road contest.
The Dodgers star hit a new record milestone in Tuesday's win. Ohtani smacked a home run with a 120 miles per hour exit velocity — the best in his career. That blast became career home run No. 100 for Ohtani.
Outside of hitting, Ohtani previously threw his longest game yet on Aug. 27. He pitched in five innings and tossed 87 total pitches — the most he's thrown during the 2025 season. He struck out nine Cincinnati Reds players plus allowed one run in that contest.
With Roberts sitting Ohtani on the hill, who steps in for Tuesday?
Emmet Sheehan earns the starting nod, per mlb.com. Sheehan owns a 5-2 overall record this season. He's thrown 54 total strikeouts. Including fanning 10 back on Aug. 25 against the Reds. The right-hander stayed on the mound in seven total innings that evening and surrendered just two hits.
The Dodgers own a 78-60 record heading into the Tuesday showdown. They remain 2.5 games in front of the San Diego Padres in the race for the National League West title.
