LOS ANGELES — There was a lot of uncertainty surrounding Shohei Ohtani for the last two-plus months of the 2026 season, and now that the offseason is here there isn’t yet much clarity.
The Dodgers superstar dealt with left knee issues dating back to June, which initially shut his pitching down after his July 3 start. That was later exacerbated by a right biceps injury, for which Ohtani spent 15 days on the injured list in September. Ohtani was asked after Thursday’s Game 4 loss in the NLCS whether
any surgical procedures would be required.
“It’s hard to tell at this point,” Ohtani said Thursday, through interpreter Will Ireton. “It’s something that’s going to be analyzed and discussed over the offseason and see if that’s a viable thing to do.”
Ohtani homered in the Game 4 loss, snapping a string of 115 plate appearances without a home run, dating back to August 18. He said he “definitely” plans to both hit and pitch again in 2027.
“I’m not quite satisfied on the pitching side this year. I haven’t pitched, and haven’t pitched in the postseason. I really haven’t been able to come to grips with what I’ve learned overall this season,” Ohtani said Thursday. “It’s something that I’m going to go back to the drawing board in terms of treatment, training program, and see what I can come up with for next season.”
Links
Speaking of Ohtani, Mirjan Swanson in the Los Angeles Times argues (correctly, I think) that the Dodgers should prioritize the superstar’s load management going forward to help keep him fresh and healthy.
Bill Plunkett at the Orange County Register wrote about the Dodgers’ aging group of core players.
“Major League Baseball’s portrayal of the Dodgers as baseball’s bogeymen never made sense,” wrote Ken Rosenthal at The Athletic. “The stunning outcome of the NLCS laid the flaws in the league’s argument bare.”
Tarik Skubal pushed back on the narrative that the NLCS loss meant this was the end of an era for the Dodgers, wrote Maddie Lee in the Los Angeles Times:
“I don’t feel that at all,” Skubal said. “It’s hard to win the World Series, and this group has done it the last two seasons. Obviously, not this year, but … I think that this group is incredibly talented. And the preparation and the work ethic that this group has — I don’t buy into that narrative.”
