Dodgers say Shohei Ohtani will play in World Series Game 3 despite shoulder injury

The Los Angeles Dodgers say Shohei Ohtani will be fit to play as the World Series heads to New York on Monday.

Ohtani partially dislocated his left shoulder sliding into second base during the Dodgers’ victory in LA on Saturday night, which put them up 2-0 up in the series. There were fears the Japanese star’s season could be over, but on Sunday Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told ESPN that Ohtani will be available for Monday’s Game 3 at Yankee Stadium.

“He’s in a great spot. He’s playing tomorrow,” Roberts told ESPN’s Karl Ravech.

Ohtani had a brilliant regular season, becoming the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season. He has had a good but not outstanding postseason so far by his lofty standards, with a .863 OPS, below his regular season career average of .945. He is 1 for 8 in the first two games of the World Series. Ohtani had been one of the few players on the Dodgers roster who got through the season without a major injury. The pitching staff has been beset by injuries, with nearly every member of the starting rotation spending time on the injured list.

Los Angeles are two wins shy of clinching the best-of-seven series, which would secure their second championship in five years.