Shohei Ohtani Benched Day After Comeback, Restarts ‘Within What He Can Still Play Through’

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The story

Shohei Ohtani wrapped up his first game back after a five-game absence on September 8, only to be unexpectedly left out of the starting lineup the very next day, the 9th. According to Sports Hochi, the concern centers on the condition of his left knee and right arm, and he reportedly plans to restart “within a range he can still play in.” On the 5ch Geinou/Sports Express+ thread, the sudden “accident” report drew mixed reactions — some worried about his health, others joking about his repeated absences, and some sharply noting that his bench players, like Edman and the pinch-hitters, have actually been performing better.

Possible accident for Shohei Ohtani? Shocking benching the day after his return from a five-game absence — he’s determined to restart “within a range he can play in,” but concerns remain over his left knee and right arm

Sports Hochi

September 9, 2026, 7:00 AM

Source: hochi.news / Original article here

What people said

2AnonymousSep 9, 2026 07:58
"Accident-harassment," lol (mocking how the media keeps slapping the word "accident" on every setback)
3AnonymousSep 9, 2026 07:58
How many different Hernandezes are there anyway (the Dodgers have more than one on the roster)
4AnonymousSep 9, 2026 07:59
So they've decided it's hopelessly bad, huh
Did the injury get worse again?
5AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:00
Edman batting leadoff is working out better anyway
6AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:00
Kind of want the Dodgers to lose whenever Ohtani's not in the lineup
7AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:00
Japanese tourists who dropped big money on flights and tickets must be in tears
8AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:00
If he's going to get a whole news article every time he's out of the lineup, wouldn't it just be better to put him on the IL already
9AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:00
What 'accident'? Everyone already knows something's clearly wrong
10AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:01
Could it be that Ohtani's retirement isn't as far off as we think?
35AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:08
Re: #10
Nah, isn't it better if he just rests the whole rest of this season and heals up properly?
Judge's been out resting forever too, right?
14AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:01
Today's probably just a normal healthy scratch, I'd guess
16AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:03
We don't need you!
17AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:04
Even without playing, he's still raking in sponsorship money
19AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:04
Maybe if he rests for about a week and just sleeps the whole time, Ohtani's judgment will go back to normal
20AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:04
They were busy trash-talking soccer and the boomerang came right back at them, lol

Baseball's decline into irrelevance is something else 🤣
108AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:26
Re: #20
This you, perhaps?

961: Anonymous (much obliged): 2026/09/09 (Wed) 00:21:12.10 ID:GNzoSbCf0
The guy who was trashing Ohtani like crazy
ended up posting in an IP-revealing thread,
and it turned out he's a diehard fanboy of soccer's [Takefusa] Kubo
116AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:28
Re: #108
Ah, I see
Guess it's the backlash from Ohtani stans dissing on every player in every other sport
130AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:31
Re: #108
That anti's always around, huh
He's in this thread too
28AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:06
Just swinging a bat and suddenly it's 'fatigue' this, 'injury' that
44AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:10
Re: #28
Full-time DH and still getting hurt, lol
32AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:07
Ohtani's a guy who needs a lot of sleep after all
38AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:09
Re: #32
Marriage and kids are totally dragging him down
41AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:09
Re: #32
Guess now that he's gotten older he probably can't sleep much more than a normal person anymore
37AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:09
8 wins, 30 home runs — that's plenty for this year already, right?
80AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:18
Re: #37
Wish I could've seen 10 wins and 40 homers though
51AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:11
He's been treated like a saint this whole time, but turns out he's only human
65AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:15
Honestly it's probably time to retire the two-way thing, but he'll probably choose pitching over hitting…
83AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:18
Re: #65
Pitching full-time with the occasional at-bat puts less strain on the body, but hitting full-time with the occasional start on the mound is tough
82AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:18
This looks like an IL trip coming — my guess: bench him through tomorrow, then IL after that
98AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:23
Re: #82
He played yesterday, so if they put him on the IL now he'd barely get to play the rest of the season — so I don't think they will?
88AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:19
Re: #80
Why do baseball bros (a mocking 5ch term for baseball otaku) always obsess over multiples of 10 for no reason, lol
97AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:23
Come to think of it, he wasn't there on the bench to greet Teoscar when he hit his homer yesterday either
And Teoscar always tosses him sunflower seeds too
128AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:30
Re: #97
Teoscar's a good one
Even when he's not hitting himself, he still tosses the sunflower seeds like always
102AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:25
Performing like he used to is going to be tough now
Wonder what they'll do about his contract, lol
122AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:29
Re: #102
If they trade him, it just means the Dodgers got to use him on the cheap

Background and Talking Points

Ohtani has faced repeated reports of fatigue and injury this season while continuing his two-way workload as both pitcher and hitter, and on the thread, the headline’s very use of the word “accident” became a target of jokes. This time it’s strictly a bench start (being left out of the lineup), which is technically different from being placed on the injured list, though the reporting itself doesn’t make that distinction clear. With the postseason approaching, losing their top slugger would be no small blow for the Dodgers, and the thread’s chatter about bench players like Edman and Teoscar stepping up reflects the team’s current depth situation. Meanwhile, the back half of the thread drifted off-topic into baseball-versus-soccer fan rivalries and speculation about Ohtani’s personal life, and as of the 9th there’s been no further update on his actual physical condition.

*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports Express+) thread “Possible accident for Shohei Ohtani? Shocking benching the day after his return from a five-game absence, determined to restart “within a range he can play in”.”

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