Shohei Ohtani injury needs to be a reality check for the Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers were dealt a major scare in Thursday's game as Shohei Ohtani left with a knee injury. Ohtani seems to have dodged the worst, as he has what the Dodgers deem left knee inflammation, but that injury shouldn't be dismissed as if it were a nothing-burger.

This injury scare needs to serve as a wake-up call for Ohtani and the Dodgers. They must act with caution for the best player on the planet.

An injury to Shohei Ohtani would be hard for even the Dodgers to overcome

The Dodgers have dealt with a myriad of injuries this season. yet they never seem to miss a beat. Whether it's Will Smith, Edwin Diaz, Mookie Betts, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow or somebody else the Dodgers are fine. A big reason for that, though, is because of Shohei Ohtani, who might be having the best all-around season of his legendary career.

Ohtani has a .964 OPS as a hitter and a 1.06 ERA as a pitcher. I'm not kidding. He's fourth in the majors in OPS and if he had enough innings to qualify (he's roughly two innings shy as of this writing), he'd lead the majors in ERA. The Dodgers' star-studded roster allows them to replace guys Betts and Snell for certain periods, but there is no replacing a player of Ohtani's caliber.

Knowing this, the Dodgers must be more cautious with Ohtani than they've been.

Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani plan requires more caution

With Ohtani a full-time two-way player, the Dodgers have been more cautious with Ohtani's playing time than they had been earlier in his tenure with the club. Ohtani had missed a total of seven games in his first two seasons with the team, and he's already missed two games this season while being restricted to only pitching a handful of times.

Ohtani has pitched without hitting four times already this season, which is honestly four more times than I expected entering the year. While it's good that the Dodgers have given him a bit of a break in games that he's pitched in, it feels like there's more work to be done here.

Is there a reason Ohtani has appeared in 67 of their 69 regular season games? Is there a reason Ohtani hasn't taken the day off for hitting while pitching since May 13, nearly a full month ago? I understand wanting to play Ohtani, perhaps the greatest player ever, every single day, but the Dodgers have to have more than just the regular season in mind.

Dodgers need to give Shohei Ohtani breaks with the postseason in mind

What Ohtani is doing is not normal. It's hard enough for hitters to hit and pitchers to pitch; it's unfathomable to imagine a player doing both things at once, especially at the level Ohtani is doing them. If the season ended today, Ohtani would have an argument for the Cy Young award as a pitcher and the MVP award as a hitter. Again, that's just not normal.

What makes it even more impressive is that Ohtani seems to have the energy to do both things at an elite level. Is this going to sustain heading into October, though?

While the Dodgers are used to Ohtani suiting up every day, he had thrown just 47 regular season-innings in two years with the Dodgers, all of which came in 2025. He had done a lot of hitting and not a whole lot of pitching, making it easier for him to be fresh in the postseason. He had not been a two-way player full-time in his MLB career since 2023, and even that year, he only made 23 starts before undergoing a season-ending elbow procedure.

Ohtani has thrown more than 132 innings just once in his MLB career, and that was in 2022. Ohtani has never pitched more than 47 innings in a season, which has required him to pitch in October. It's one thing for Ohtani to hit and pitch for the first two and a half months of this season, it's another for him to do so through October while being at his best to give the Dodgers a chance to three-peat.

Dodgers must outline concrete plan to keep Shohei Ohtani fresh

It's been a blast watching Ohtani play every single day while pitching consistently. He's on pace to have the greatest season ever, without question. The Dodgers have World Series aspirations, though, and need Ohtani to be at his best for them to accomplish their ultimate goal. That means taking the regular season less seriously.

The Dodgers should have a plan in mind for keeping Ohtani fresh. This means that while Ohtani can hit and pitch at the same time, he probably shouldn't be doing so in the same game. This also means that Ohtani should be getting a full day off at least once every week or two. This could also mean skipping an Ohtani start every once in a while, or at least pushing his start back by a few days, keeping his arm fresher.

Is this what Ohtani wants? Probably not. It's certainly not what I, a fan with no dog in this fight that enjoys watching Ohtani play, want, but it's what's best for a Dodgers team trying to win a third straight World Series title.

The Dodgers have the roster and the cushion (8.0 game lead in the NL West) to take a conservative regular-season approach with Ohtani and get away with it. It's in their best interest, and his latest injury scare should push them into that direction.

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