Thursday, September 10, 2026

Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2026

For the first time since Shohei Ohtani has been a Dodger, he will be placed on the IL. The corresponding move is to promote Josue De Paula from Double-A.

Since June 11^th, Ohtani has been dealing with physical ailments, including an inflamed right knee and a sore left biceps. He hasn’t pitched competitively since July 3^rd.

Friday, August 28, Ohtani cut a bullpen session short after re-aggravating his biceps injury. He continued to hit, but he didn’t perform like Shohei Ohtani. Wednesday, September 2^nd, he struck out four times and shook out his left arm.

The Dodgers decided to rest Ohtani for the next four games, hoping that the bothersome left arm would feel better. He played on Monday but didn’t get a hit. The Dodgers decided to rest him on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Ohtani revealed that he re-aggravated his left arm on one of the swings on Monday. At first, before the game, Dave Roberts didn’t think it was an IL situation, but he did admit that the Dodgers should have put Ohtani on the IL last Thursday.

After the game, Roberts announced that Ohtani will be put on the IL and De Paula will be activated for Friday’s game in Miami.

The Dodgers hope the fifteen-day period will calm down Ohtani’s left arm and knee. They know he won’t be completely healthy for the playoffs. However, Roberts said that if the postseason were happening now, Ohtani would be playing.

De Paula is a highly regarded corner outfield prospect. He should have some runway while Ohtani is on the IL. He will do some DH and play either left or right field. The competition in Double-A is essentially the same as Triple-A, according to Roberts. In Tulsa, he had a batting average of .3303 with 27 home runs and 104 RBI. At 21, he is the best prospect in the Dodgers’ farm system.

Since Ohtani quit playing, the Dodgers haven’t lost a game. Nevertheless, they need his offensive production in the postseason. He needs to be able to hit well and not be a liability in the lineup.