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The Dodgers have provided an update on Shohei Ohtani‘s availability for the upcoming series against the Yankees, per Jack Harris at the New York Post. Ohtani sat out the All-Star Game due to a knee concern that had the baseball world buzzing, and now we have clarity on where things stand as the second half begins with one of the most anticipated series of the season.

Ohtani’s knee issue became a talking point when he was held out of the Midsummer Classic despite being voted in as a starter. That absence raised eyebrows — and understandably so. When your franchise centerpiece misses the showcase event, people want answers. The fact that the Dodgers are now addressing his status for the Yankees series suggests this was always more precautionary than structural, but it’s still something I’ll be watching closely when he steps into the box at Yankee Stadium.

Ohtani has been the engine driving this Dodgers lineup all season. His ability to impact the game from both sides — though his pitching timeline remains its own ongoing conversation — makes any health concern feel amplified. We saw what happened last year when he dealt with nagging issues; the team’s offensive ceiling drops noticeably without him operating at full capacity. He’s not just a star in our lineup, he’s the gravitational force the entire order is built around. Opposing pitchers approach every at-bat differently when Ohtani is in the middle of things versus when he’s not, and that ripple effect touches everyone from the leadoff spot down.

The Yankees series is as marquee as it gets in the regular season. Dodgers-Yankees always carries weight — two of baseball’s biggest brands, massive national television audiences, and the kind of atmosphere that feels closer to October than July. Having Ohtani available (and healthy) for this stretch matters beyond just the wins and losses. It’s a tone-setter heading into the second half, and it signals to the rest of the league that this team isn’t managing around a significant injury.

For us, the key question isn’t just whether Ohtani plays — it’s how he looks doing it. A guy dealing with knee discomfort might still get penciled into the lineup but lose a step in his swing mechanics or his ability to drive the ball with authority. I’ll be paying attention to his exit velocities and how he moves on the basepaths more than anything else this weekend. If he looks like himself, we move on and chalk up the All-Star absence as smart rest. If something looks off, that becomes a much bigger storyline heading into the trade deadline stretch.

The Dodgers clearly felt comfortable enough to put the word out that he’s in the mix for the Yankees series, and that alone is encouraging. This front office doesn’t play games with injury information when the stakes are this high. If there were real concern about something structural with the knee, we wouldn’t be having a conversation about his availability — he’d simply be sitting. The fact that we’re here, talking about him being ready to go, tells me the organization views this as a non-issue going forward (and I hope they’re right).

Source(s): Jack Harris (New York Post) | First reported: July 17, 2026 9:59 AM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers