NEW YORK — Shohei Ohtani is expected to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium on Monday night despite a partially dislocated left shoulder.
Ohtani was injured sliding toward second base when he was caught flying out to end the seventh inning of Saturday night’s 4-2 victory over the New York Yankees in Game 2 in Los Angeles .
“I just don’t see him playing Game 3,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before Sunday night’s practice at Yankee Stadium. “If he feels well enough to go, then I don’t see any reason why he wouldn’t be there.”
Ohtani did not travel with the team to New York to undergo imaging. He was on a separate flight.
“As far as test results go, we have doctors everywhere. I don’t have them,” Roberts said. “It’s more me talking about the practice squad, Shohei feels good this morning, range of motion, strength.”
Ohtani was expected to arrive at the stadium in time for practice, which began at 6 p.m. EDT. Roberts said Ohtani has taken dry swings since the injury and will hit a tee and take batting practice in an indoor cage.
“It’s going to be eye-opening,” the manager said. “He still has to practice and swing the bat, but, again, today feels better than yesterday, and our guess is tomorrow will feel better than today.”
Roberts said the injury caused some pain, but “it’s just everyone’s tolerance.”
“I don’t see it compromised,” he added. “It’s the left shoulder, which is the back shoulder. So I don’t see how that affects his hitting, if he’s able to go there.
Seeking their eighth title and second in five years, the Dodgers lead 2-0 in the best-of-seven series. Walker Buehler starts Game 3 for Los Angeles against Clarke Schmidt.
Ohtani is in the lead and Roberts is counting on his presence.
“If he’s able to play, if he wants to play, he’ll play,” the coach said. “Schmidt will know Shohei is in the box, so that says it all.”
Ohtani grabbed his left forearm after being hit by shortstop Anthony Volpe for the final out in the seventh on a foot-first slide. He lay near the bag for several minutes before being treated by athletic trainers and left the field.
The likely NL MVP was 0 for 3 with a walk in Game 2. He is 1 for 8 through the first two games of the Fall Classic and is hitting .260 with three home runs and 10 RBIs in his first postseason in the majors.
A two-time AL MVP with the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani joined the Dodgers last December for a record $700 million, 10-year contract.
Ohtani, 30, hit .310 with 54 home runs, 130 RBIs and 59 stolen bases, becoming the first player with at least 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season. The two-way star did not pitch this season while recovering from elbow surgery on September 19, 2023, and was limited to designated hitter.
“Anytime you have probably the best baseball player in the world, I think that’s going to help and free up some of the other guys to play with a little less pressure or a little more freedom,” Buehler said . “He’s been great for the clubhouse and great for our team, so it’s been a cool year watching him with the 50-50, just kind of every day and the kind of human he is as well.”
Ohtani had been one of the few players on the Dodgers roster to make it through the season without a major injury. Nearly everyone in the starting rotation spent time on the injured list and the team led the majors in placement on the injured list with 36 and days on the injured list with 2,342.
Among position players, Mookie Betts was out for nearly two months with a broken left hand, and Max Muncy was out for nearly half the season with a right oblique strain. Freddie Freeman is out in the playoffs with a sprained right ankle.
