LOS ANGELES – It’s too early to panic, and it’s too early to form opinions. If the Los Angeles Dodgers' initial diagnosis of Shohei Ohtani is correct, there's a good chance he'll be in the lineup for Game 3 of the World Series on Monday night at Yankee Stadium.
Still, Ohtani's left shoulder injury Saturday night cast a pall over Dodger Stadium, quieting a raucous crowd and causing a rare sense of anxiety for a team that had gone two games undefeated in the series.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani has a subluxation. Subluxation is a condition that occurs when the ball at the top of the upper arm bone dislocates, but only partially, rather than completely, when the ball at the top of the upper arm bone dislocates.
If this is all there is to it, it may not be a big problem, especially in the short term. Roberts said Ohtani had great strength and good range of motion. But he cautioned that the Dodgers won't know more until Ohtani undergoes an MRI scan. Smart fans understand that the diagnosis is not important until the doctor confirms the scan results. And given the Dodgers' injury history, no one would expect Ohtani to start Monday night at Yankee Stadium just yet.
If Ohtani misses even one game, there will be a wide range of players, from likely MVP Ohtani and Aaron Judge to right field superstars Mookie Betts and Juan Soto, likely Hall of Famer Freddie Freeman, and potential Hall of Famer Freddie Freeman. One such person is Giancarlo Stanton. This series also features the two pitchers with the highest total annual salaries: Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Gerrit Cole. Yamamoto, who made his World Series debut on Saturday night, pitched 6 1/3 innings and allowed only one hit, a home run to Soto.
But at the center of it all is Ohtani. He was injured Saturday night when he slipped into second base attempting to steal a base in the seventh inning with the Dodgers leading 4-1. He rolled around in the dirt in obvious pain and slowly stood up before an athletic trainer helped him walk off the field, supporting his left arm.
Otani is slow to stand up after attempting a second steal. pic.twitter.com/T3Af5GRaiw
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 27, 2024
For a recent comparison, consider Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres, who reportedly suffered at least four subluxations in 2021. Tatis initially did not undergo surgery believing his shoulder was stable. However, he changed his mind in September 2022, when he was suspended for 80 games for using banned substances. Doctors repaired the labrum in his left shoulder. Tatis recovered by the time he returned in April 2023, playing in 141 games that season.
Could Ohtani eventually suffer the same fate? Perhaps he will if he endures repeated subluxations. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, treatment for shoulder instability includes both nonsurgical and surgical options. Of course, Ohtani is still recovering from major surgery on his right elbow and hopes to pitch again in 2025. But even after racking up 59 stolen bases as a full-time designated hitter this season, his one-and-done attempts will almost certainly be limited. He returns to the mound to reduce wear and tear on his body.
If Ohtani misses time during the series, the Dodgers could adjust by moving Betts to the leadoff spot and making Freeman the DH. Max Muncy will move from third base to first base, and Quique Hernandez could play third base. Roberts will shore up his infield with a combination of Gavin Lux, Tommy Edman and Miguel Rojas, with Andy Pages potentially playing center on days when Edman plays shortstop in place of Rojas.
Freeman is playing through a severe sprained right ankle and Rojas will need sports hernia surgery during the offseason, but the roster is not bad. Ohtani went just 1-for-8 in the first two games of the series, one of which came on a thundering double off Yankees relief pitcher Tommy Kahnle in Game 1. But it's clear he's an integral part of the Dodgers' offense.
After striking out 10 in 22 at-bats in the Division Series, Ohtani broke out in the National League Championship Series with a .364 batting average and 1.185 OPS. He was an absolute terror in the postseason with runners in scoring position, going 15-of-22 in those situations.
With or without Ohtani, the Dodgers are in a great position. The only way they lose the series is if they drop four of the next five games. It's not out of the question for the series to move to New York for Games 3, 4, or 5 (if necessary), but it's not highly likely either. . The Yankees have their own problems, most notably the performance of MVP candidate Aaron Judge, who has hit .150 in the postseason with a .605 OPS and 19 strikeouts in 50 at-bats.
The Dodgers are the Dodgers and will use Ohtani's absence as a rallying point. Betts was out for about two months this season with a broken left hand. Ms Freeman was away for 10 days while her son Max, 3, suffered from Guillain-Barre syndrome, then was absent due to a broken finger and ankle problems. And let's not forget, the Dodgers also placed 12 starting pitchers on injured reserve.
No one should paint this team as an underdog when their estimated annual salary of $325 million was second only to the New York Mets. The Dodgers used their financial strength to build extraordinary depth. As a result, although there is some lack of talent, the club has enough strength to come within two wins of winning the World Series for the first time since 2020 and in a full season since 1988.
Ohtani's continued presence would further improve the Dodgers' chances, and his return for Game 3 seemed entirely possible, at least as Roberts was talking about. By now we have all learned that it is foolish to underestimate Ohtani. Seriously, would anyone be surprised if he came back with a series-clinching home run and earned the series-clinching save against the Dodgers' insistence that he not pitch again this season?
Okay, that's a bit too much to ask. I just hope Ohtani plays again in the series. Every time he misses, it will ruin baseball's biggest spectacle in years. And as his past injuries have shown, every day he misses is a bad day for the sport.
(Top photo of Shohei Ohtani leaving the field in Game 2: Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
