Dodgers must protect Shohei Ohtani … from himself

The Dodgers have tried doing this Shohei Ohtani’s way.

They have kept Ohtani in their lineup as a designated hitter while he takes a break from pitching.

Now, more than three weeks after the last game he pitched, Ohtani continues to experience discomfort in both his left knee and right biceps.

The plan isn’t working – or, at very least, is working slower than expected.

Time to change the approach.

As much as Ohtani might loathe it, the Dodgers have to do what he wouldn’t do on his own.  They have to shut him down. Place him on the injured list for the next 10 days and give his body a real chance to recover.

The decision has to be taken out of Ohtani’s hands. Ohtani wants to play – and he can because of his high pain threshold. That doesn’t mean he should.

Too much is at stake here, both for the team and for Ohtani.

The Dodgers need Ohtani to pitch for them in October, and he’s already lost close to a month in his attempt to get back on the mound. He can’t afford to risk losing even more time.

Already, manager Dave Roberts said, Ohtani is approaching the point at which he would have to rebuild his arm strength. Better to do that now than in the weeks leading up the playoffs.

Will Smith’s situation should be instructive.

Smith hasn’t played since June 5 because of an inflamed disc in his neck. When the All-Star catcher was sidelined, he initially kept working out. One problem: The condition that landed him on the injured list never improved.

Around the All-Star break, the Dodgers shut him down. After about a week of that, Smith was finally pain-free. He has since resumed baseball activities.

In the case of Ohtani, he’s doing more than working out. He’s playing in games.

Speaking to reporters at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday night, Ohtani said his knee doesn’t bother him much, which is another way of saying he feels something.

Ohtani said that he can’t run as fast as he can when he’s completely healthy, his drop in speed enough to where he has difficulty judging whether he can take an extra base. He acknowledged that he might not be pain-free until the offseason.

So, he’s hurt. He can play with this particular knee problem, but that’s also what he used to say about pitching.

Injuries can worsen. They can also lead to other injuries, and that’s why manager Dave Roberts believes Ohtani’s biceps is bothering him.

Ohtani spoke publicly about his biceps issue for the first time after playing both ways on July 3, saying he experienced a month or two before that. 

The July 3 start against the San Diego Padres was the last game in which Ohtani pitched. He skipped his final start before the All-Star break. 

Ohtani threw a bullpen session in Philadelphia last week and his biceps presented problems again. Roberts speculated Ohtani’s knee contributed to that.

“There is an effect on the lower half to the compromising of the upper half, the arm” Roberts said.

Ohtani hasn’t thrown a bullpen session since.

He might think he’s found a middle ground by hitting and not pitching, but who is to say that taking major-league at-bats and running the bases won’t lead to other compensation injuries?

Ohtani sounded as if he was aware that remaining in the lineup could affect his recovery. He said there was “no doubt” his knee’s condition was improving.

“But,” he said in Japanese, “I’m continuing to play, so there’s no doubt I have to concentrate on that.”

With the Dodgers holding an 11 ½-game lead over the second-place Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West, Ohtani said he didn’t feel the urgency to resume pitching before he was 100% ready to do so.

“The team is in a good position, so I really think as long as I’m (better) in time for the end of September and the postseason,” he said.

At this point, Ohtani might as well take advantage of the situation to take a 10-day break from everything.

The Dodgers have to look beyond his overwhelming desire to play. They can’t let themselves be convinced that nothing is wrong when he homers the way he did on Tuesday in a 7-6 loss to the Seattle Mariners.

Because what they’re doing now isn’t working. And if these problems aren’t addressed now now, they could lead to greater troubles when the games really count.

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