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Shohei Ohtani sat out Friday night’s series opener against the White Sox in Chicago, but the expectation is that he will avoid a trip to the injured list despite dealing with left knee inflammation, per staff at Dodger Blue. That’s the best realistic outcome here after Ohtani was pulled early from his previous game and then held out of the lineup a day later. Dave Roberts had initially floated the idea that Ohtani might play Friday, but the team ultimately decided to give him another night off — a decision that makes plenty of sense given who we’re talking about.

Ohtani’s left knee has been a source of anxiety for Dodger fans since long before he put on the uniform. The torn UCL in his knee required surgery during his time with the Angels, and while the rehab was successful and he’s shown no structural issues since joining the Dodgers, any inflammation in that joint is going to raise alarm bells. This season, Ohtani has been the engine of the lineup — his combination of power, on-base ability, and presence in the middle of the order is something the Dodgers simply cannot replicate internally. Even a short absence stings. The fact that we’re hearing he should avoid the IL rather than being day-to-day with a vague timeline is encouraging, but I’ll feel a lot better once he’s actually back in the lineup and moving well.

The timeline matters here. Ohtani has now missed two consecutive games, and the Dodgers are in the middle of a road trip against the White Sox — one of the weaker teams in the American League. If there’s ever a stretch where you can afford to rest your best player for a couple of days without panicking, this is it. Roberts and the training staff seem to be taking the cautious approach, which is the right call. There’s no reason to push Ohtani through discomfort in a June series against Chicago when the bigger picture involves October.

For the Dodgers, the knee inflammation is the latest in a string of health concerns that have defined this stretch. Will Smith is already on the IL with a neck injury, Jordan Wrobleski dealt with a hamstring issue (though he’s not expected to miss a start), and the bullpen has been taxed through a rough June. The lineup without Ohtani is still capable, but it becomes a fundamentally different operation — the protection he provides to the hitters around him disappears, and opposing pitchers can attack the rest of the order more aggressively.

The bottom line: this looks like it’s going to be a short absence rather than a prolonged one. If Ohtani avoids the IL and returns to the lineup within the next day or two, we can exhale. But the fact that the Dodgers are managing inflammation in a surgically repaired knee during the first half of the season is something I’ll be watching closely going forward. This is the kind of issue that can flare up again, and how the team handles his workload over the next several weeks could matter a lot come September and beyond.

Source(s): Staff (Dodger Blue) | First reported: June 12, 2026 11:29 PM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers