It has emerged that Shohei Ohtani told the team he wants to keep playing despite ongoing issues with his left knee and right biceps. The discomfort — which began in his left knee in early June and his right biceps in early July — has persisted on and off for nearly three months, and swing irregularities reportedly began appearing after the August 30 game against the Tigers. Manager Dave Roberts said, “He wants to be out there, but ultimately we’ll decide based on whether it’s good for the team,” signaling a shift toward team-led management of his playing time — a call that had previously been left to Ohtani’s own feel. On 5ch, reactions split between those seeing a sense of déjà vu from his Angels days and those saying he should rest instead of pushing through it.
On the possibility of a 10-day injured list (IL) stint, Roberts would only say, “We’ll judge it day by day based on how he’s feeling.” The day before, Ohtani struck out swinging and was seen shaking out his right arm afterward; Roberts revealed the discomfort extends up into his neck, saying, “It feels like something from the biceps up through the neck isn’t working the way it should. He wasn’t getting the response he wanted and was wincing.”
Ohtani first reported trouble with his left knee in early June and his right biceps in early July. Up until now, decisions on whether he’d keep hitting or how his pitching rehab would go had respected his own feel and input. But after nearly three months of ups and downs, a “warning sign” appeared when swing irregularities showed up following the August 30 game against the Tigers. With the season heading into its final stretch, Roberts explained that his playing time will now be managed by the team going forward. “We’ll decide whether to put him in the lineup based on what’s ultimately best for the team. Last night was the turning point. He wants to play. But we’re not going to put him out there just because of the name on the back of his jersey,” he said, indicating the team will carefully assess his condition from here.
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
2AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:51
This is playing out exactly like his Angels days lol
3AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:51
So it's the usual routine — the fanboys won't stop him, and it's the team's fault for not benching him?
10AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:52
He probably doesn't even realize he's causing trouble for everyone around him
11AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:53
The untouchable one (age 32)
18AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:54
Re: #11
But since they can actually bench him, doesn't that mean he's not really untouchable?
Though maybe you could call it "untouchable" in the sense that they can't keep him benched
12AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:53
Does he want to be a DH-only guy so badly that he'll make others clean up after him and cause this much trouble?
14AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:53
It's basically like a gambling addiction
16AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:54
Doing the exact same thing as his Angels days again lol
19AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:54
>>manage the fact that he wants to play, that's your job as the team
Saying "not just because of the name on his back" now is way too late
23AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:55
Might as well just rest up for a while
Once he's back to full health, get back to mashing home runs
32AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:57
Re: #23
It's hopeless already
Injuries aside, his numbers have been terrible for the past few years
24AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:55
If he's kicking up this much fuss, his contract probably has a no-trade/veto clause built in
He might turn into an absolute inescapable dead-weight contract (lit. "death-row inmate")
43AnonymousSep 5, 2026 00:02
Re: #24
The fact that he's starting to get called a "part-time pitcher" in America is genuinely such a clever nickname lol
27AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:56
Even if this version of him plays right now, it'll just drag his stats down
28AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:56
Re: #25
Seriously, you should stop forcibly glorifying this and defending him
Any normal working adult would get marked down the moment they start causing trouble for people around them
Are you the type who still goes to work even with the flu? 😅
31AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:57
It's just him putting on a show of wanting to play
Why hasn't anything changed at all since his Angels days
33AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:58
Re: #31
Exactly
In the end it's all just for show
35AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:58
Re: #32
I want Ohtani to do the two-way thing again at the next WBC too 😭
39AnonymousSep 5, 2026 00:00
Re: #35
A 36-year-old guy doing that would just be a hindrance to the team
37AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:59
Just keep him chained to the bench for the rest of next week
38AnonymousSep 5, 2026 00:00
Re: #37
I feel like just having a guy like this on the bench is a huge minus
46AnonymousSep 5, 2026 00:03
A sad little baseball machine
47AnonymousSep 5, 2026 00:04
Re: #46
Funny how despite being a "baseball machine," it got leaked that he's been showing up late recently lol
62AnonymousSep 5, 2026 00:10
Go down to the minors and go eat some burgers!
65AnonymousSep 5, 2026 00:14
Re: #62
Honestly this is exactly right
He should take it slow and get back in shape down in the minors
He can still play baseball there
67AnonymousSep 5, 2026 00:14
Re: #62
His contract doesn't allow them to send him down to the minors
73AnonymousSep 5, 2026 00:17
Before Uehara got told to pipe down for good (lit. "became a real mute"), he said, "Isn't Ohtani going to get injured a lot once he's past 30? When I was starting games, I hated having to hit too because it was so exhausting — that's how much of a toll two-way play takes on your body." Looks like that's exactly what's happening now.
85AnonymousSep 5, 2026 00:35
Re: #73
In the end, only guys who've actually started games can really understand how brutal two-way play is
102AnonymousSep 5, 2026 00:44
The Dodgers organization has officially apologized to fans visiting from Japan for him sitting out, so Ohtani can't just easily take time off
109AnonymousSep 5, 2026 00:51
Re: #102
If Ohtani doesn't play after all this, the disappointment will be huge
>The cost of a Los Angeles tour package to watch Shohei Ohtani play generally runs from about ¥380,000 to over ¥1,000,000 for standard packages, and can range from ¥200,000 to over ¥2,000,000 when including individually arranged or luxury options.
105AnonymousSep 5, 2026 00:47
It was only for a few years, but he let us dream
Come back home to the Dragons
107AnonymousSep 5, 2026 00:50
Re: #105
At least wait until you're an actual baseball team before you try to recruit him
Background and Key Points of This Topic
Ohtani reported discomfort in his left knee in early June and his right biceps in early July, and the condition went back and forth for roughly three months. Decisions on whether to keep swinging or how to proceed with rehab had previously been left to his own judgment, but after swing irregularities became noticeable following the August 30 game against the Tigers, manager Dave Roberts made clear the team was shifting to team-led management, saying he wouldn’t play Ohtani “based on the name alone” even if Ohtani wanted to be out there. On the thread, opinions split between those seeing a sense of déjà vu — “same pattern as his Angels days” — and those arguing he should rest up and prepare for next season. It’s also easy to overlook that whether Ohtani plays is tied directly to the business side of things too, such as the contractual restriction preventing a minor-league send-down and the fact that the Dodgers have apologized to tourists over his absences.
*This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “[Sad News] Shohei Ohtani Still Demanding to Play, Team Says lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol.”
