Ohtani Available to Hit vs Yankees Despite Knee Concerns
April 15, 2026, Los Angeles, California, USA: Starting pitcher, Shohei Ohtani 17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers during a regular season MLB, Baseball Herren, USA game against the New York Mets on Wednesday April 15, 2026 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. Dodgers defeat Mets, 8-2. MARK HAMMOND/BNS/PI Dodgers Defeat Mets, 8-2 PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY - ZUMAp124 20260415_zaa_p124_109 Copyright: xMarkxHammondx
April 15, 2026, Los Angeles, California, USA: Starting pitcher, Shohei Ohtani 17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers during a regular season MLB, Baseball Herren, USA game against the New York Mets on Wednesday April 15, 2026 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. Dodgers defeat Mets, 8-2. MARK HAMMOND/BNS/PI Dodgers Defeat Mets, 8-2 PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY - ZUMAp124 20260415_zaa_p124_109 Copyright: xMarkxHammondx
As the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers set to face each other on Friday night, Shohei Ohtani’s health has become a big factor.
After much speculation about the two-way star's availability for the three-game series, the Dodgers announced that Ohtani will be available for the first game.
Ohtani was dealing with a knee injury and was expected to miss games at the start of the second half of the season. The Dodgers announced on Thursday that he will not make a pitching start for the series. The update comes after the knee treatment that Ohtani received during the All-Star break.
According to the New York Post, Roki Sasaki will start on Friday, Emmet Sheehan on Saturday and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Sunday. The three-game series will be played at Yankee Stadium.
He was not able to make the start last Friday because of the lingering issue. The team said that he has “continued irritation on his left knee.” It is the same inflammation he had dealt with last month.
When making a pitching star the Dodgers star lands on his knee 100 times. He indeed makes only one start in a week, but Ohtani also throws multiple bullpen sessions.
The Dodgers have been careful in using him and also kept him out of action in the All-Star Game; the result hasn’t been as desirable as they had expected.
Shohei Ohtani's MVP chances could be impacted by his knee injury
In a world where Shohei Ohtani still plays great baseball, giving MVP honor to anyone else seems unfair. But as unfair as it might sound, the MVP race is looking different with Ohtani dealing with an injury.
So far, Ohtani has been the leading name in the MVP race. Through the first half of the season, he has put up incredible numbers, including a .953 OPS and 1.79 ERA, both of which rank fifth and second in the league, respectively.
His knee could become a factor that dilutes his case for the fourth straight MVP and fifth in six seasons.
According to The Athletic, Ohtani currently leads the MVP race at -900 odds, ahead of Pete Crow-Armstrong (+650) in the second spot. If he continues to struggle with the injury, the race could get closer.
Ohtani is looking more human this month, especially with his knee bothering him. He has batted .263 in July and has allowed multiple runs in the last four starts. If this continues, the MVP race would look very different.
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Written by
Nandjee Ranjan
Edited by
Kaamna Dwivedi