Shohei Ohtani is out of the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup for the fourth consecutive game in Sunday's series finale against the Washington Nationals, but manager Dave Roberts expressed hope that his return is imminent.
The NL's back-to-back reigning MVP has been battling multiple lingering injuries throughout the summer, including pain in his left knee and right bicep that have kept him off the mound since July 3. Neck soreness prompted Roberts to rest Ohtani after an 0-for-4 night on Wednesday in which he struck out four times.
He took swings in the batting cage during Saturday's 6-5 win and according to Roberts, came out of that session just fine. The Dodgers had been weighing whether to put Ohtani on the injured list, where he would have to miss
15 games instead of the standard 10 because of his two-way designation.
But barring any unforeseen setbacks, Roberts told reporters that he's optimistic Ohtani can be back in his usual DH spot for Monday's series opener against the Cincinnati Reds.
"Yesterday was a good day," Roberts said. "Came out of it feeling well, so if nothing else changes or continues to trend, I see him in there tomorrow."
It wasn't merely the conversation with Ohtani that made Roberts comfortable with announcing his return; he hitting coaches and team training staff informed Roberts that Ohtani was able to go through his full pregame routine feeling like himself again. Once he's back in the lineup, the Dodgers will still monitor Ohtani's workload on a day-to-day basis.
This is all, of course, in the context of Ohtani returning as a hitter. He has yet to resume his throwing program after being shut down yet again on Aug. 28. Though Roberts stopped short of saying Ohtani won't pitch again in 2026, he alluded to it in the bluntest terms possible.
"Not officially, but if you're looking at the calendar, how much he's thrown in the last week," he told reporters, "I think we can all do the math."
Dalton Rushing injury update
The Dodgers also announced Rushing is headed back to the IL after he was scratched late from the lineup on Saturday. The 25-year-old catcher returned from a partially torn UCL last week without a rehab assignment and was strictly used as a lefty bat off the bench as he worked to rehab his right elbow.
But after throwing on Saturday, Rushing once again felt pain and while an MRI showed no additional damage to his ligament, Roberts said throwing "pissed it off."
He's officially shut down from catching for the rest of the season and is expected to progress steadily through a rehab assignment once his 10 days on the IL are up. Hunter Feduccia will now take on Rushing's left-handed reserve bat role.
Max Muncy, who had been scratched with Rushing on Saturday due to illness, is back in the lineup on Sunday as a DH.
Edwin Díaz injury update
The Dodgers closer took a big step toward his return from a neck injury, tossing a scoreless inning with a strikeout in his first rehab appearance with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday. He'll likely have another outing before rejoining the Dodgers.
"It was good," Roberts told reporters. "I'm sure Edwin's gonna want to get back here as soon as possible, but I'm probably more on the 'Get another one, and then get back with us.'"
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Shohei Ohtani, Dalton Rushing and more Dodgers injury updates
