Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani was placed on the 15-day injured list due to right bicep inflammation, backdated to Tuesday. The two-way superstar has struggled through a slump while managing lingering knee and arm discomfort, with the team calling up top prospect Josue De Paula to take his roster spot.
The Los Angeles Dodgers officially placed Shohei Ohtani on the 15-day injured list on Friday, marking the first time in his three seasons with the franchise that the two-way superstar has hit the IL. Manager Dave Roberts announced the move after weeks of managing lingering soreness in both Ohtani’s left knee and right biceps.
Because Ohtani maintains a unique two-way player designation—allowing him to pitch without counting against MLB’s maximum limit of 13 rostered pitchers—league rules require him to use a 15-day injured list stint rather than the 10-day IL available to standard position players. The move has been backdated to September 8, making Ohtani eligible to return to the active roster on September 23 at the earliest.
Bicep Inflammation and the Physical Toll of Two-Way Play
While that knee issue forced him to abandon pitching for the remainder of the season to focus exclusively on hitting, the right bicep inflammation subsequently began affecting his swing.
Over his last seven appearances before the IL designation, he managed just two hits in 26 at-bats, leaving him with a .077 batting average during that span. For the full season, Ohtani maintains a .902 OPS with 30 home runs and 80 RBIs, alongside an 8-2 record and a 1.79 ERA as a pitcher.
Of course the best mode of recovery is to completely not play. But right now, I just want to make sure that I’m playing, playing well and just focusing on the now. Shohei Ohtani, via MLB.com
He waited until after Tuesday night’s game to inform the training staff that a swing taken on Monday had left his arm feeling less than optimal.
Dave Roberts and Front Office Rationale Behind the IL Stint
When that rest proved insufficient, the team opted for the mandatory two-week reset.
There was a swing Monday that he didn’t feel great on, hasn’t totally recovered from Monday. I would love to go back and put him on the IL. But I did feel at that moment in time, we all felt that giving him four days was sufficient. He was agreeable. Dave Roberts, Dodgers Manager, via NBC Los Angeles
The Dodgers are currently positioned comfortably atop the National League West, holding a lead and maintaining flexibility in the standings as they secure their postseason positioning. Team leadership emphasized that the priority is ensuring Ohtani reaches October in peak physical condition rather than pushing through an unproductive slump.
Dave Roberts, Dodgers Manager, via Yonhap News, stated that if it were a postseason game tomorrow, Ohtani would be in the lineup, adding that since a two-week period of 14 days is now being discussed, he feels that duration is substantial and that Ohtani will be in a much better place than he was today.
Top Prospect Josue De Paula Gets the Call to the Majors
To fill Ohtani’s active roster spot, the Dodgers promoted top prospect Josue De Paula directly from Double-A Tulsa. The 21-year-old outfielder from the Dominican Republic is making the jump without a stop at Triple-A, marking a rare organizational move under president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman.
To create a 40-man roster spot for De Paula, the Dodgers transferred left-handed pitcher Eric Lauer from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list due to left elbow inflammation. De Paula made his major league debut as the designated hitter against the Miami Marlins, drawing a walk in his first outing.
While Ohtani remains in Los Angeles during the team’s road trip to rest his arm and resume light hitting drills, the club expects him back in time for the final week of the regular season, giving him a brief window of games and live batting practice to prepare before the postseason begins.
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