Superstar Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers sustained a shoulder injury before the Dodgers’ 4-2 victory against the New York Yankees in Game 2 of the World Series on Saturday.
The Japanese slugger, who is competing for the NL MVP award, appeared to injure himself during the game’s seventh inning. Laying in agony, he left the field with a trainer after his sliding effort to steal second base.
Rumor had it that the two-time MVP had dislocated his shoulder during his sliding effort, leading to earlier reports that Ohtani had sustained a left shoulder injury. But during the match, manager Dave Roberts acknowledged that Ohtani had suffered a subluxation of his left shoulder. The team will travel to New York for the next three games of the series after the Japanese starters have undergone additional testing.
Roberts stated, “We’ll know more in the next couple of days after we get some tests at some point tonight or tomorrow.” However, the strength was tremendous. It has a good range of motion. Thus, we are inspired. Naturally, though, since we haven’t seen the scans yet, I can’t make any assumptions. We will know more after we receive the scans.
When Ohtani tried to steal second base in the bottom of the seventh inning with the Dodgers ahead 4-1, he was thrown out to finish the inning. However, Ohtani remained on the ground, squirming in agony, and eventually departed the field while having his left arm held by trainers.
Roberts called it “concerning” to see Ohtani on the ground in agony.
When any one of your players is injured, it’s definitely troubling, Roberts said. However, after the strength and range-of-motion tests, I felt much better about it.
In his six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani missed out on the postseason; this weekend’s playoffs will be his first time participating.
His 50th home run of the season and his 50th base steal during the Dodgers’ come out against the Miami Marlins on Thursday are just two of the great player’s incredible recent achievements. Towards the end of the competition, Ohtani had amassed his 51st of each stat.
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Shohei Ohtani Struggles
Shohei Ohtani has struggled with physical difficulties after having a fantastic rookie season with the Dodgers.
One year before he established the 50-50 club, Ohtani had elbow surgery in September 2023. He was told that he probably wouldn’t be able to pitch until 2025, which, on paper, would significantly diminish the transcendent two-way star’s effectiveness.
Shohei Ohtani is still the front-runner to win the NL MVP award despite sitting out, making him potentially the first player to do it after playing only as a designated hitter.
After putting in a lot of effort to heal his elbow, Ohtani even threw off a mound during practice last month for the first time since his surgery, which sparked speculation that he would be able to pitch in the postseason.
Shohei Ohtani’s injury worries Teoscar Hernandez, but he still trusts in the team’s strength. If Shohei Ohtani misses any playoff action, it would be a major setback for Roberts’ squad, who had a record-breaking regular season in his first season with the Dodgers.
Next Game Update
On Monday, Game 3 will take place at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York.
The Dodgers may consider Andy Pages as a replacement designated hitter if Shohei Ohtani is unable to make it back in time for Monday’s game at Yankee Stadium. However, it’s not yet confirmed by the management.