Dodgers change Shohei Ohtani’s second-half workload after knee treatment

NEW YORK — The Dodgers’ expectation is for Shohei Ohtani to make his next pitching start on Wednesday in Philadelphia, manager Dave Roberts said, setting a soft target for his two-way star to return to the mound following treatment he received on his knee during the All-Star break.

On Thursday, the Dodgers announced a projected rotation for this weekend’s series against the Yankees that did not include Ohtani — who is now going on three weeks since his last pitching start on July 3.

On Friday, however, Roberts said the team didn’t want to rush Ohtani — who was in the lineup against the Yankees as the Dodgers’ designated hitter — after he received a lubricant injection last Sunday to address lingering discomfort and swelling in his left knee.

Ohtani will play catch and throw a bullpen session in the coming days to ensure he is ready to return to his two-way duties.

“He’ll get off the mound, do a touch-and-feel, stretch it out and see how he feels,” Roberts said.

One logical reason for waiting until Wednesday to have Ohtani pitch again: That game immediately precedes a Thursday off-day, which will give the 32-year-old extra time to recover after his pitching start.

That’s a routine the Dodgers are likely to follow over the remainder of the season — scheduling Ohtani’s pitching starts ahead of off-days or resting him as designated hitter the day afterward if the team plays again.

“I think we are certainly more prepared to back off of the workload, if it calls for it,” Roberts said. “But Shohei wants to be out there as much as he possibly can.”

Ohtani has been battling a knee issue since June 10, when he felt flaws in his pitching mechanics during an outing against the Pirates that put an added burden on his front, left landing leg.

The next day, Ohtani was removed from the Dodgers’ game early as a DH after his knee swelled. He missed another game the following day, before returning to his everyday role in the club’s lineup. He had continued to make once-per-week starts in the rotation thereafter.

Despite that, Ohtani’s knee — the same one he had surgery on in 2019 — had not returned to 100%, according to Roberts. It still required regular treatment from the team’s training staff. It also led the superstar to wear a knee sleeve around the clubhouse.

While it didn’t impact his hitting, Ohtani’s pitching hadn’t been as sharp since initially sustaining the injury, either. In 10 outings to begin the year, he had a 0.74 ERA. In his four outings since, he has a 4.38 mark.

Ultimately, the problem became bothersome enough that Ohtani agreed to the team’s suggestion that he skip the All-Star Game, as well as his final scheduled pitching start of the first half of the season last Friday, and instead take a week to focus on letting it heal.

Following last Sunday’s first-half finale, Ohtani also received a lubricant injection called Orthovisc, Roberts said. He did not have his knee drained, as the team initially said he would.

“I think [the injection] gives him some relief in his knee, which we were hoping to get,” Roberts said. “And then the four days off from activity gets it all to settle.”

Now, the club’s hope is that Ohtani’s knee issue will finally be behind him.

Only once he retakes the mound, however, will they know for sure.

Either way, the Dodgers will try to moderate Ohtani’s workload the rest of the year. 

In the first half, he made consistent turns through the team’s six-man rotation, never going more than seven days between outings until getting an extended eight-day break before that July 3 appearance. He also played the day after many of his starts, even some when he pitched and hit the day before.

Moving forward, the Dodgers could now look for opportunities to give him more ample rest or at least keep him off his feet the days after he takes the mound — a luxury they’ve been afforded thanks to their MLB-best record and massive division lead.

After all, the team’s primary goal now is getting to October with Ohtani and the rest of the roster healthy.

And for as good as Ohtani has been — entering play Friday with the fifth-best OPS among MLB hitters (.953) and the second-best ERA (1.79) among pitchers with at least 80 innings — protecting his knee remains a top priority.

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