The Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher and DH, Shohei Ohtani, was removed from last night's game with left knee inflammation.
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter two-way player Shohei Ohtani circles the bases on a solo home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the third inning at PNC Park.
Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images The Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher and DH, Shohei Ohtani, was removed from last night's game with left knee inflammation. If this turns out to be a serious issue, it would be a tough blow for the Dodgers and disastrous for fantasy owners. It doesn't sound like he will require an IL stint, but it's still too early to make a true determination.
However, head coach Dave Roberts did say it was just precautionary, and he's hopeful that Ohtani will be available for their weekend series against the Chicago White Sox. He talked to the trainer and felt something behind the knee and lower hamstring. They wanted to be smart, not push it.
"He told the trainer that he felt a little something behind his knee, and I just didn't see any sense in risking it. " Ohtani has been both one of the best hitters and best pitchers in baseball this season and over the course of his career. Neither the Dodgers nor fantasy owners would be able to replace his production should he be sidelined for any extent of time.
It sounds like Ohtani should be available this weekend, and could even be available tonight, but we wouldn't be shocked if the Dodgers took extra precaution and rested him for at least one game, being that they are in firm control of the NL West with an eight-game lead and there is almost no chance that a single loss in June will somehow end up costing them a playoff spot. At the plate, Ohtani is batting .305 this season with 13 home runs and 40 RBIs, and he is 6-2 with a 1.06 ERA and 73 strikeouts as a pitcher.
There is no one in fantasy that is giving you anything close to that kind of production, even in leagues where you only have him as just a hitter or just a pitcher;To further complicate things, because he is a DH, it's difficult to even predict who would replace him in the lineup until we actually see who is in their starting lineup. It would likely be matchup-based and could potentially change from night to night if he continues to miss games.
As we said, you should not panic, because we don't expect him to land on the IL. Nevertheless, if he does, we will be back with advice once we see what the Dodgers' lineup looks like without him. Mark Morales-Smith is a father of five, a former college football scout and semi-pro football player.
Morales-Smith is a long-time competitive fantasy football player with well over a decade of professional writing experience at multiple high-level sites, including Sports Illustrated, FullTime Fantasy, FantasySP, and more.
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