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Shohei Ohtani had lubricant injected into his left knee, per the Los Angeles Times. The Dodgers are managing the ailment carefully, but the two-way star remains in the lineup as a designated hitter for the Yankees series opener Friday and is expected to make his next pitching start Wednesday against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The injection is a notable detail in the ongoing management of Ohtani’s knee. Lubricant injections — typically hyaluronic acid, sometimes referred to as viscosupplementation — are a common treatment for joint discomfort and inflammation. They’re designed to reduce friction and improve mobility, not to mask a structural problem. The fact that the Dodgers went this route rather than shutting Ohtani down suggests they view this as maintenance rather than something more serious. That said, we’re talking about the left knee on a guy who underwent major UCL reconstruction and is still in the relatively early stages of his return to two-way duties at full workload. Any knee concern on a pitcher who generates as much force through his lower half as Ohtani does is something to monitor closely.

Ohtani has been one of the best players in baseball again this season, and the Dodgers’ entire operation — offensively and on the mound — runs differently when he’s fully available. As a hitter, he continues to be one of the most dangerous bats in the lineup, and his presence on the mound gives the rotation a legitimate ace-caliber arm every fifth day. Losing any part of that equation would be a significant blow, which is exactly why the team is being proactive with treatment rather than waiting for a problem to escalate.

The fact that Ohtani is still in the lineup Friday as DH is reassuring. He’s hitting, he’s not on the bench, and the Dodgers clearly feel confident enough in the knee to keep rolling him out there against the Yankees. The pitching start Wednesday against Philadelphia will be the bigger test — that’s where the knee takes real stress, driving off the mound repeatedly over 90-plus pitches. If he gets through that start without issue, this probably fades into the background as routine maintenance.

I think the Dodgers are handling this the right way. Be transparent, treat it, keep him active, and don’t overreact. The injection is a new piece of information, but it fits the pattern of a team managing a minor issue on a player who is too important to let something small become something big. We’ll see how the knee responds over the next week, but right now there’s no reason to panic. The Dodgers clearly aren’t.

Source(s): Staff (Los Angeles Times) | Staff (FantasyPros) | First reported: July 17, 2026 11:41 PM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers