Shohei Ohtani Withdraws from Pitching Rotation Due to Discomfort
The Los Angeles Dodgers made the decision to pull Shohei Ohtani from his scheduled start against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday. The move was taken as a precaution after the star player reported feeling unwell. Although Ohtani will maintain his position as the first batter and designated hitter, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts considered that asking Ohtani for his twelfth start as a pitcher of the season would be excessive. Emmett Sheehan (5-2, 3.56 ERA) was designated to start in place of Ohtani for Los Angeles.Despite remaining in the lineup and achieving a 3-for-5 performance, including his 100th home run with the Dodgers, Roberts opted to give Ohtani time to recover before assigning him the task of pitching.Ohtani was “unavailable” on Tuesday and “didn’t feel well” during a scheduled pitching session.
Dave Roberts, Dodgers Manager
Roberts added that Ohtani, who has a 1-1 record with a 4.18 ERA this season in his return to the mound after undergoing Tommy John surgery, is expected to pitch this weekend during Los Angeles’ visit to Baltimore. Roberts indicated that Ohtani is dealing with a persistent cough, although both the player and the team are confident that he can maintain his usual place in the lineup without this negatively affecting his health. The situation would have been different if Ohtani had to pitch.When you’re sick and potentially dehydrated, the demand to pitch in a game wasn’t worth it.
Dave Roberts, Dodgers Manager
The burden of taking four or five at-bats compared to pitching five innings is not comparable.
Dave Roberts, Dodgers Manager
