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Shohei Ohtani is not fully healthy and the Dodgers are letting him play through multiple injuries as September baseball intensifies, per Fabian Ardaya at The New York Times. The concern centers on lingering biceps and knee soreness that have dogged Ohtani throughout the stretch run, raising questions about how long management will allow him to compete at less than 100 percent heading into October.

Ohtani has been the franchise centerpiece since signing his massive contract, and his dual-threat ability—both as a hitter and pitcher—makes him irreplaceable to any postseason run. The fact that he’s pushing through discomfort now instead of resting suggests the Dodgers believe the regular season push outweighs the injury risk, or that the injuries aren’t severe enough to warrant a shutdown. Still, there’s a real tension here between maximizing wins in September and ensuring Ohtani has a clean bill of health for October, when every game matters exponentially more.

This aligns with what we’ve seen in recent weeks: Ohtani‘s performance has dipped noticeably, the team has experimented with managing his workload, and there’s been open discussion about potentially resting him entirely to get him to full strength before the postseason. The question isn’t whether the injuries are real—they clearly are. The question is whether the Dodgers’ gamble on running him out there now pays off or backfires if something gets worse.

With the rotation banged up and the lineup searching for offensive consistency, the front office seems to believe having Ohtani available in some capacity is better than having him completely shelved. That’s a calculated risk, and it’s one that will define whether we’re talking about a deep October run or an early exit come November.

Source(s): Fabian Ardaya (The New York Times) | First reported: September 3, 2026 12:02 PM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers