Shohei Ohtani is back in the Dodgers’ lineup.
The superstar slugger is set to lead off as Los Angeles’ designated hitter in Monday night’s Game 3 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium, two days after he left Game 2 with a subluxation, or a partial dislocation, of his left shoulder.
Ohtani suffered the injury as he slid into second base on a caught stealing in the seventh inning of the Dodgers’ 4-2 win over the Yankees in Los Angeles.
After writhing in pain on the Dodger Stadium infield, Ohtani quickly exited the game, casting doubt about his status moving forward.
But Roberts expressed optimism immediately after Game 2, describing the strength of Ohtani’s ailing shoulder as “great” and his range of motion as “good.”
Roberts then said during a workout Sunday that he did not expect Ohtani to be compromised by the injury.
“If it’s a pain tolerance situation, I just don’t see him not playing Game 3,” Roberts said at the workout at Yankee Stadium.
Ohtani is the latest big-game Dodger to be battling an injury. Their star first baseman, Freddie Freeman, has been playing through a badly sprained ankle. Their rotation has also been decimated by injuries, with Tyler Glasnow (elbow) and Clayton Kershaw (toe) among those out for the postseason.
After spending his first six MLB seasons with the Angels, the Japanese-born Ohtani signed with the Dodgers in December on a 10-year, $700 million contract featuring heavily deferred money.
Ohtani, 30, delivered on his record-setting deal by hitting 54 home runs and stealing 59 bases in the regular season, marking the first 50-50 campaign in MLB history.
He is expected to claim his third MVP Award after winning the honor twice with the Angels. The two-way sensation did not pitch this year as he recovered from September 2023 elbow surgery.
Ohtani entered Game 3 with a .260 average, three home runs and 10 RBI in his first MLB postseason. He went 1-for-8 with a walk in the first two games of the World Series.
The 6-4 slugger helps headline a star-powered World Series also featuring the Yankees’ Aaron Judge, who led the majors with 58 home runs in the regular season and is the favorite for AL MVP honors.