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The Dodgers have scratched Shohei Ohtani from his scheduled Wednesday start against the Athletics and will push him back to Friday, per the LA Times. The team announced the move Tuesday, though no specific reason for the change has been publicly detailed beyond the decision to shift his spot in the rotation by two days.

This is the kind of thing that immediately gets your attention given everything we’ve already been through with Ohtani’s workload management. He’s been nothing short of spectacular this season as our two-way centerpiece — the guy the entire pitching staff and lineup revolves around. Since returning to the mound full-time in 2025 after his UCL reconstruction, the Dodgers have been meticulous about how they handle his arm. Ohtani came into this season with the understanding that he’d be treated like any other frontline starter in terms of regular-season workload, but the club has never been shy about building in extra rest when they feel it’s warranted. His pitch counts, his between-starts routine, his recovery windows — all of it is monitored more closely than probably any pitcher in baseball.

The timing here is hard to ignore. Just days ago, we covered the incident where a passed ball led to an Ohtani injury scare, with Dalton Rushing taking ownership of the play. There’s been no official indication that the two events are connected, and pushing a starter back a couple of days is far from unusual in a 162-game season. But when it’s Ohtani, everything gets a second look — and it should. He’s the most valuable asset in our organization, arguably in all of baseball, and protecting him for October matters more than any single June start against Oakland.

From a rotation logistics standpoint, this is a minor shuffle. The Dodgers have the pitching depth to cover Wednesday without much disruption. Someone from the current staff or a spot starter could slot in, or the club could simply rearrange the order for the rest of the week. I’d expect Andrew Friedman’s front office and the coaching staff to treat this as routine publicly, and unless we hear otherwise, there’s no reason to panic.

That said, I’ll be watching Friday closely. If Ohtani takes the mound and looks like himself — the mid-to-upper-90s fastball, the sweeper that makes right-handed hitters look helpless, the full arsenal — then this was just a scheduling preference and nothing more. If Friday gets pushed again, that’s a different conversation. For now, we take the team at its word: he pitches Friday. The Athletics series continues, and we move on.

Source(s): Staff (LA Times) | First reported: June 30, 2026 10:57 PM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers