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Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani is expected to play in Game 3 of the World Series Monday (October 28) night despite a shoulder injury, according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
“I don’t see him being compromised. It’s the left shoulder, which is the back shoulder,” Roberts said on Sunday (October 27) prior to the Dodgers' workout at Yankee Stadium via the New York Post. “I don’t see how that affects his hitting if he’s able to go. I really don’t.”
Roberts said he didn't have the results of tests performed on Ohtani, 30, after he suffered the injury in Game 2, but said the All-Star was feeling better the following day. The 2023 American League MVP and favorite to win the 2024 National League MVP, appeared to hurt his shoulder while being caught stealing second base during the bottom of the seventh inning.
Ohtani appeared to confirm that he thought his left shoulder popped out in Japanese during the broadcast.
Ohtani went 0-2 with a walk and a strikeout prior to his injury. Los Angeles was leading New York, 4-1, in Game 2 at the time of Ohtani's injury and went on to win, 4-2, to take a 2-0 lead in the series. Ohtani, who signed a 10-year, $700 million contract to join the Dodgers this offseason, lead the National League with 54 home runs, 130 RBI, 134 runs and a .646 slugging percentage, while also hitting for a .310 average, while also becoming the first player in Major League Baseball history to hit more than 50 home runs while also stealing more than 50 bases in the same season.