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The Dodgers are at least thinking about dialing back Shohei Ohtani‘s workload at some point, per staff reporting at DodgerBlue.com. No specific timeline or plan has been announced, but the conversation is clearly happening internally. Ohtani returned to the lineup Saturday night after missing Friday’s series opener against Baltimore to be with his wife for the birth of their second child, and he wasted no time — going 1-for-4 with his 16th home run of the season.

Ohtani has been, predictably, the engine of this lineup all year. Sixteen homers before the end of June puts him on pace for another monster season at the plate, and that’s on top of whatever pitching workload he’s carrying. Since his return from elbow surgery, the Dodgers have been walking a tightrope with his usage — trying to maximize one of the most valuable players in baseball history while being realistic about the toll of doing two jobs at the highest level. He’s 31 now, signed through 2033 on his historic $700 million deal, and the front office has every incentive to think long-term even when the short-term production is this good.

What “adjusting the workload” actually looks like remains unclear. It could mean scheduled off-days, reduced pitch counts in certain starts, or pulling him from blowouts more aggressively. The Dodgers have used versions of this approach before — they’ve always been proactive about managing their stars, going back to the Clayton Kershaw innings limits and Dustin May‘s careful buildup after Tommy John. The difference with Ohtani is the sheer scope of what he does. Resting him as a hitter means losing one of the best bats in baseball. Resting him as a pitcher means shuffling a rotation that’s already been stretched by injuries.

I think this is smart, even if it’s just at the discussion stage. We’re sitting in late June with a long injury list — Will Smith dealing with a neck issue, Brusdar Graterol and others working their way back — and the last thing this team needs is to run Ohtani into the ground before October. The Dodgers have championship aspirations every year, and those aspirations live and die with Ohtani being healthy in the postseason. A few strategic rest days in July or August could pay enormous dividends come playoff time.

For now, this is just something the organization is considering, not a concrete plan. But the fact that it’s being discussed publicly tells me the front office is already laying the groundwork. We should expect to see Ohtani get a day off here and there over the next few weeks, probably framed as routine rest. That’s fine. That’s how you protect a $700 million investment (and this one bears watching as the schedule gets more demanding into the All-Star break).

Source(s): Staff (DodgerBlue.com) | First reported: June 22, 2026 2:12 PM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers