Dave Roberts said on October 14, 2026, that Shohei Ohtani will be in the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup despite physical issues because Ohtani strongly believes he can help the team.
Roberts said Ohtani had been placed on the injured list to have roughly a week to return to playing. Roberts noted that Ohtani is dealing with issues involving his knee, upper body and biceps, although Roberts did not know the specific diagnoses. “It’s the upper body, it’s the knee,” Roberts said, while also identifying the biceps as an issue.
Roberts explained that the plan is to play Ohtani while monitoring whether he can perform at his ability: “if you’re not feeling good enough that you can feel like you can perform up to your ability, then we’ll pivot.” He added that Ohtani has treated the situation as a personal challenge to perform in a major moment, saying the “show has taken this as a personal challenge.”
Roberts emphasized that winning requires contributions from the entire Dodgers team, not Ohtani alone. “it’s not a one-man show,” he stated. Roberts manages the Los Angeles Dodgers, spoke with Ohtani in what he described as a great conversation, and said Ohtani wants to help the Dodgers win. Roberts also cited Ohtani’s bunt attempt as evidence of that approach: “he squared the bunt.”
Roberts compared Ohtani’s situation with Freddie Freeman’s 2024 postseason recovery, when Freeman received time to reset before, according to Roberts, “He ends up winning the MVP in the World Series.” Roberts also said the Dodgers had three hits in the previous game, were trailing 0-2 in the series, and had three important games coming up. He mentioned Will Smith, Tommy Edman, Blake Snell, Gasser, Ube, Ashby, Hall and McGill in discussing the Dodgers’ collective effort.
The Dodgers will continue with Ohtani in the lineup while evaluating whether he can perform at his ability, with Roberts saying the team will pivot if Ohtani is not feeling well enough.