Roberts' Decision to Hold Off Until He Is 100% Certain Raises Concerns Over Ohtani's Lingering Knee Pain

[Financial News] A dark cloud has settled over the return to the mound of superstar Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who has dominated Major League Baseball as a two-way player. As his chronic pain in his left knee has shown little sign of improvement, the schedule for restarting his two-way role has once again been postponed indefinitely.
Ohtani had been scheduled to throw a bullpen session before the Dodgers' road game against the New York Mets at Citi Field in Queens, New York, on the 26th, Korea time. However, he canceled the session entirely after complaining of ongoing discomfort in his knee.
In an interview with local media, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, "We will not move on to the next step of throwing from the mound until Ohtani himself feels 100% confident and the club is also 100% certain." He added, "We are not at that stage yet. His knee got a little worse after the last bullpen session."
Signs of trouble in Ohtani's knee began appearing late in the first half. He had been expected to make his final first-half start against the Arizona Diamondbacks on the 11th, but he was unable to take the mound because of pain in his left knee. After the first half ended, Ohtani focused on recovery while also receiving injections. He had originally planned to return against the Philadelphia Phillies on the 23rd, but the outing fell through after the pain returned during a weekend catch session.

His condition improved somewhat afterward, and he threw 30 pitches in a bullpen session ahead of the Phillies game on the 23rd. But his knee worsened again during the process, forcing the team to cancel even the bullpen work scheduled for that day.
Roberts said, "We were trying to get his body back on track through bullpen work, so the current situation is disappointing." He added, "Compared with before the All-Star break, his overall knee condition has improved. But it cannot keep getting worse after training sessions like this."
The encouraging news is that Ohtani's bat remains as active as ever. During his swing, his weight shifts to his back knee, the right knee, so the left knee pain is believed to have little impact on his hitting. Roberts said, "Ohtani himself has said that hitting and baserunning do not bother his knee," adding, "As long as being in the lineup does not interfere with his recovery, we will keep him in the starting lineup."

This season, Ohtani has made 14 starts as a pitcher and logged 85 and two-thirds innings, posting a dominant 8-2 record with a 1.79 ERA and 95 strikeouts. At the plate, he has appeared in 100 games through this day and is leading the team's offense with a .282 batting average, 104 hits in 369 at-bats, 22 home runs, 61 RBIs and a .908 OPS.
But with the timing of his return to the mound now unclear, the Dodgers' plans for managing their pitching staff in the second half have been thrown off.
[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter