NEW YORK — Shohei Ohtani got his knee lubricated, not drained.
Ohtani skipped the All-Star Game earlier this week to remain in Los Angeles and get treatment on his troublesome left knee. That treatment consisted of a shot of Orthovisc, a lubricant injected into the joint to provide pain relief and shock absorption. He did not have fluid drained from the knee.
“I think it gives him some relief in his knee which we were hoping to get,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Then the four days off with no activity which gives it a chance to settle in.”
Ohtani has not pitched since July 3. He had his final start on the mound before the All-Star break scratched. The expectation now, Roberts said, is that Ohtani will throw a bullpen session in the next couple of days and make his next start on Wednesday in Philadelphia. Ohtani is expected to DH all three games against the Yankees this weekend.
Ohtani’s workload – particularly as a pitcher – could be impacted throughout the second half as the Dodgers try to avoid overworking his knee.
“I think it’s all contingent on how his knee is feeling,” Roberts said. “I think we are certainly more prepared to back off on the workload if it calls for it. But Shohei wants to be out there as much as he possibly can.”
By holding off on Ohtani’s next start until Wednesday, it will be followed by a scheduled off day. The Dodgers did that multiple times when the schedule allowed it in the first half. Giving Ohtani a recovery day following any pitching start will be a high priority in the second half.
“I think it’s safe to say even if there isn’t an off day behind it I would like to give him that next day off,” Roberts said. “But, ideally yeah, you would like to have the scheduled off day behind it. But that’s not always possible with the schedule and with where he’s at.”
Ohtani has also adjusted his pitching mechanics, focusing on the angle of his landing foot in order to “alleviate as much stress as he can while he’s pitching.”
Roberts said he would “highly doubt” that Ohtani will need surgery to address the knee issue.
SHUT DOWN
Out of action with an inflamed disc in his neck for the past six weeks, catcher Will Smith has been shut down for this week as the Dodgers hope a week of inactivity will “hopefully calm his neck down to then build up.”
Smith had been hitting in the batting cage and doing some other baseball activity during the homestand before the All-Star break. He won’t resume that until at least next week.
While he is no longer experiencing pain in his neck, Roberts said “there was pain when he was doing baseball activities.”
“So then we felt that if he’s inactive, it gives him a good chance to get all the inflammation out, the soreness out, the pain, increase flexibility – all of it. To then give him a fighting chance to work his way back,” Roberts said. “I think that trying to do everything, even at a lesser dosage, just wasn’t feasible.”
Roberts said the Dodgers don’t know when Smith will be able to return “but we are certainly counting on it” being this season.
“Early on, we’ve been trying to get him ready, moving around, doing some baseball stuff. But he hasn’t been able to get over the hump,” Roberts said. “So I think we feel like no activity and we’ll kind of read and react after a week.”
REHAB ROUNDUP
Three Dodgers will make rehab appearances in the minors this weekend.
Relief pitcher Edwin Diaz started his rehab with a scoreless inning for Class-A Ontario last weekend. He is scheduled to make appearances again Friday and Sunday.
Utility player Kiké Hernandez was scheduled to start his rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday night.
Starting pitcher Blake Snell is scheduled to start his rehab assignment with a two-inning outing Saturday night. The left-hander threw two simulated innings to hitters at Dodger Stadium last weekend.
Meanwhile, right-handed starter Tyler Glasnow is not ready to start a rehab assignment yet but he has continued to throw fastballs-only bullpen sessions this week.
UP NEXT
Dodgers (RHP Emmet Sheehan, 4-6, 4.81 ERA) at Yankees (LHP Ryan Weathers, 3-7, 4.15 ERA), Saturday, 5 p.m. PT, FOX (Ch. 11), 570 AM