Shohei Ohtani will reportedly play in World Series Game 3 after sustaining shoulder injury

Shohei Ohtani will reportedly not miss time after sustaining a shoulder injury on Saturday, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told ESPN’s Karl Ravech on Sunday. Per Ravech, Roberts said that Ohtani is “in a great spot” and will be available to play in Game 3 of the World Series against the New York Yankees.

The Dodgers superstar suffered an injury to his left shoulder in Game 2 of the World Series, leaving a previously jubilant Dodger Stadium stunned as he left the field with an athletic trainer on Saturday night. But Ohtani will escape with minimal issues, and will be available to play in Game 3 on Monday in New York.

Ohtani was thrown out attempting to steal second base to end the bottom of the seventh inning and stayed on the ground in pain. He was holding his left arm, which took the brunt of his weight as he slid into second. Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal later reported that it was a shoulder injury.

The Fox Sports mics picked up Ohtani’s conversation after the injury, with one Japanese-speaking account reporting that the slugger said his left shoulder popped out of its socket.

Ohtani left Dodger Stadium almost immediately after the game ended, though Roberts told reporters after the game that initial tests on Ohtani’s injury were positive, despite the initially scary scene. Roberts said at the time that Ohtani had a “little” subluxation, but did not elaborate on the extent of the injury.

The Dodgers were up 4-1 at the time of the injury and held on to win 4-2 and take a 2-0 lead in the series. With Ohtani staying in, the baseball world will breathe a sigh of relief for the remainder of the series: The 2024 World Series was set up as Ohtani’s first appearance on baseball’s biggest stage, with the ratings to match.

The Dodgers will be heading to New York for Game 3 on Monday, with the team and the fans alike still grateful to have Ohtani available in the lineup.

Stealing bases had been the story of Ohtani’s season, as he went from a fast but inefficient baserunner to one of the best in baseball in his first season with the Dodgers. He made MLB history with the first 50-50 season, finishing the year with 59 steals on 63 attempts, but the postseason has been another story for that skill.

The play on which he was injured was only his second attempt of the playoffs, with no successes.