Dodgers fans may never breathe the same after Shohei Ohtani injury scare

Shohei Ohtani has been doing his normal thing of late, namely making more MLB history. In the Los Angeles Dodgers' weekend slate against the Tampa Bay Rays, he hit a walk-off grand slam on Friday night that made Ohtani just the sixth player ever to join the 40-40 club. So naturally, he followed that up the next day with another home run.

But on Sunday, his accomplishment was not one that Dodgers fans would've ever been looking forward to. In the series finale against the Rays, Ohtani made everyone watching the Dodgers gasp and hold their breath with what was nearly a nasty injury.

Ohtani was at the dish when a pitch came in high-and-tight on the superstar. Though he tried to get out of the way, the pitch ultimately connected with his wrist. It left the Dodgers DH in what was clearly a ton of pain and everyone was fearing the worst in the immediate aftermath.

But don't worry, Dodgers fans -- it seems like you can breathe easy after this scary moment.

Shohei Ohtani appears to avoid injury after HBP on wrist; Dodgers fans breathe again

Ohtani still went to take first base after the hit-by-pitch and waved off the Dodgers training staff in order to stay in the game. Perhaps more importantly, he was then seen in the dugout going through his normal routine between at-bats and seeming no worse for the wear after the HBP.

Update, 7:15 p.m. ET: Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that Ohtani is fine after scans were negative as Fabian Ardaya of The Atheltic also noted that the forearm was only "lightly wrapped" after the game and undergoing tests.

Original Post: Let's be abundantly clear about this first off, there would never be a good time for Ohtani to get injured if you're the Dodgers. He's a unicorn in the game of baseball and part of the lifeblood of this team. But if we are weighing the timing of an injury on a sliding scale, this would be possibly the worst time for it.

Los Angeles took the series against the Rays with a win on Sunday to hold onto a three-game lead in the NL West. However, that lead has been slipping inch-by-inch over the past month as they try to secure both the division and possibly the top seed in the National League for the postseason. And if the Rays series proved anything, it's that the margins are now exceptionally thin for the Dodgers with the injuries they're already weathering, specifically with their pitching staff.

So the mere notion of losing Ohtani at such a crucial juncture when they need every ounce of juice they can get is devastating to even consider. Thankfully, he and the Dodgers avoided anything serious on this hit-by-pitch. But fans may be a little more tense in the next few at-bats for Ohtani knowing what could be at stake if he were to suffer an injury, though we're all hoping mightily that doesn't happen.