Shohei Ohtani out of Dodgers lineup as injury problems get worse

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said on Wednesday night that the team would consider giving a clearly ailing Shohei Ohtani some time off to manage his ongoing knee and biceps injuries.

For now, that will include at least one day out of the Dodgers’ lineup, with Ohtani absent from the team’s batting order for Thursday’s series finale against the Cardinals.

Thursday’s off day came amid mounting questions over the state of Ohtani’s health.

The two-way star has been sidelined as a pitcher since early July because of an ongoing knee problem. He has also battled bouts of discomfort in his right biceps, which is where he appeared to be feeling renewed pain again on Wednesday night.

During an 0-for-4 performance that saw him record a season-high four strikeouts in an 8-6 loss to the Cardinals, Ohtani “was not close to optimal” with his swing, as Roberts conceded afterward.

The most alarming sequence came in Ohtani’s final at-bat in the 10th inning, when he shook his arm and grimaced after all four of his swings.

While Roberts said a stint on the injured list wasn’t likely for Ohtani — in part, because even that doesn’t figure to help the 32-year-old get back to 100% physically — he said conversations would be had with Ohtani and the training staff before Thursday’s game.

“Time off obviously seems logical,” Roberts said. “So I’m not blind to that.”

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It was not immediately clear if Thursday represented just a one-day breather or would be the start of a more extended stretch of rest for the four-time MVP.

Either way, it was the latest reminder of the compromised state Ohtani finds himself in entering the final stretch of the regular season.

“I think where we’re at,” Roberts said Wednesday night, “he’s just going to have to find a way to make do and do the best he can.”