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Ohtani to Skip Final Start and All-Star Game for Left Knee Treatment
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani will miss his next pitching outing and the All-Star Game to address left knee irritation. He will receive treatment after Sunday's game and remain in the lineup through the weekend series against Arizona.
Jul 11, 10:40 AM·1m read1 source
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Shohei Ohtani will skip his final scheduled start before the All-Star break and sit out the All-Star Game to rest his left knee, ESPN reported. The Los Angeles Dodgers player will have the knee drained and receive a pain-relieving injection after Sunday's game in Los Angeles.
Ohtani homered in his first at-bat on Friday against the Arizona Diamondbacks and will stay in the lineup for the remainder of the three-game series.
He led the majors in fan votes for the All-Star starting lineup. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts used a bullpen game on Friday in Ohtani's absence. Ohtani, five days past his 32nd birthday, left a June 11 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates with left knee irritation.
The same knee underwent surgery in September 2019 for bipartite patella. He has not attempted a stolen base since that flare-up. 529 with eight home runs in 23 games. On the mound he has allowed 10 runs, nine earned, in 18 innings across three starts after adjusting his mechanics.
He holds a 1.79 ERA this season, second among qualified pitchers, over 85⅔ innings. Ohtani said through an interpreter that the goal is to throw on a regular schedule. "Although I could've started today, it would've still been pushing the envelope a little bit," he added.
Roberts said the plan allows Ohtani to manage the knee proactively ahead of the stretch run. Ohtani also dealt with a blister on his pitching hand and right biceps tightness earlier this season, but both issues have subsided.
