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Shohei Ohtani was lifted for a pinch hitter in the seventh inning of a one-run game Thursday night, per Fabian Ardaya at The New York Times. The Dodgers went on to complete a 4-3 comeback victory over the Padres, fueled by a Teoscar Hernández grand slam, per the LA Times. Dalton Rushing caught Ohtani for the outing, and the two appeared to be back in sync after the Dodgers had announced Ohtani would call his own pitches with Rushing behind the plate.

Ohtani being removed in the seventh inning is the detail that jumps off the page here. We already know he recently disclosed a mild concern about his right bicep, and now he’s getting pulled from a tight game before he can finish the seventh. That’s two data points in the same series, and I don’t think anyone should panic, but it’s something we need to watch closely. Ohtani has been the engine of this pitching staff since his return to the mound — his ability to go deep into games is what separates this rotation from merely good to genuinely elite. Any limitation on his workload, even a precautionary one, changes the calculus for how the bullpen gets deployed and how many innings we need from the rest of the rotation. His 2026 season on the mound has been nothing short of remarkable, building on the absurd two-way dominance that made him a generational talent in Anaheim and then a cornerstone of this Dodgers roster. If the bicep is truly minor, pulling him in a one-run game is smart management. If it’s more than that, we have a problem.

Hernández, meanwhile, continues to be one of the most dangerous hitters in baseball when the moment gets big. The grand slam to turn a deficit into a lead is exactly the kind of swing that defines a lineup’s identity. He signed with the Dodgers as a free agent and has consistently delivered in high-leverage spots — his power numbers and clutch production have made him one of the better value signings in recent memory. A grand slam in a rivalry game against San Diego is the kind of moment that reminds you why this lineup is so deep and so dangerous. Even when the top of the order isn’t carrying the load, someone in this batting order can change the game with one swing.

The Ohtani-Rushing battery is also worth tracking. We covered earlier this series that Ohtani would be calling his own pitches with Rushing catching, and the LA Times reports the two were back on the same page Thursday. That’s encouraging. Rushing is still developing as a big-league catcher, and his ability to build trust with Ohtani — arguably the most important pitcher on the planet — is a significant part of his growth. The Dodgers clearly believe in Rushing’s long-term future behind the plate, and reps like these, in meaningful games against a division rival, are how that future gets built.

The bottom line: the Dodgers took the game, and the Hernández slam was electric. But I’m keeping my eye on Ohtani’s early exit. In a one-run game, you don’t pull your ace unless there’s a reason. The Dodgers say the bicep is minor. Let’s hope they’re right, because this team’s ceiling — in July and in October — is directly tied to Ohtani being Ohtani for a full nine innings.

Source(s): Fabian Ardaya (The New York Times) | Staff (LA Times) | First reported: July 4, 2026 5:09 AM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers