Ohtani in LA’s Game 3 lineup: ‘Very adamant he was going to play’

Two days after he sustained a left shoulder subluxation while sliding into second base on a stolen-base attempt in the seventh inning of Game 2, Ohtani has passed every test, manager Dave Roberts said, and imaging revealed no further structural damage.

“He was very adamant that he was going to play,” Roberts said. “I watched him take swings last night in the cage, looked really good, strong, ball was coming off the bat. I think there was more uncertainty in all of our minds, but in his mind from Day 1 — from Saturday evening — he was going to play.”

The injury cast a dark cloud over the Dodgers’ 4-2 victory over the Yankees in Game 2, which gave them a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Series. Although initial indications of Ohtani’s injury — a partial dislocation of the shoulder — were positive, the Dodgers had legitimate concern about whether the superstar slugger would be able to return for the rest of the Fall Classic.

“He texted the whole team as we were on our way to the airport [after Game 2] and said he was going to be fine,” Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy said before Game 3. “And that was it. He said he was going to play, and so we all just put it to the side at that moment. We all said, ‘All right, he’s got us. We’ll be ready for him to be in the lineup.'”

Roberts, who wasn’t part of the players’ group chat, joked: “It would have been helpful if I saw that thread. I would have slept better Saturday night.”

Roberts noted that the shoulder needed to be popped back into place before Ohtani underwent testing on Saturday night. But those tests revealed nothing further than the expected subluxation, with Roberts noting that the Dodgers were “very fortunate.” Barring an aggravation of the injury, the Dodgers expect Ohtani to remain available for the remainder of the World Series, though Roberts will continue to check in with his superstar on a daily basis.

After flying to New York on Sunday, Ohtani went through “80%” of his regular routine, Roberts said, including swings off the tee and in the batting cage.

“Obviously, there’s some discomfort,” Roberts said. “It’s a subluxation. It’s per an individual’s tolerance. Some swings were fine; some swings were a little uncomfortable. But I think, for me, it was more [that] we didn’t feel he was going to be compromised — and he was going to play.”

The favorite to win the 2024 NL MVP Award after producing the first 50-50 campaign in MLB history, Ohtani entered Monday with a .260 batting average in his first MLB postseason, with three home runs, 10 RBIs, 12 walks and an .863 OPS.

Ohtani, signed to a 10-year, $700 million deal in free agency last offseason, is an obvious force at the plate, and his presence in the Dodgers’ lineup is massive. He also brings plenty of value on the basepaths — but that value is clearly secondary.

“I don’t think he’ll be running,” Roberts said.

Historically, players who suffer shoulder subluxations are more prone to further subluxations and sometimes require surgery to resolve the issue. Roberts said he was hopeful the nature of Ohtani’s subluxation was such that any such operation could be avoided.

Specifically, because the injury occurred to Ohtani’s left shoulder — the back shoulder in his swing — the Dodgers hope he wouldn’t be as prone to further injury at the plate.

“The front shoulder, I say that is tougher because typically when a hitter is out in front or fooled, you lose the bat with your back hand,” Roberts said. “And the right arm — in this case with a left-handed hitter — that’s when you start to get vulnerable, when your arm gets away.

“The back elbow — the back shoulder is more connected. It’s just less chance to kind of get that exposure with a swing and miss or a ball out in front.”

The Yankees kept Ohtani in check during the first two games of the World Series, holding him to one hit (a double) in eight at-bats, with a walk and two strikeouts.