DETROIT - The Los Angeles Dodgers have put Shohei Ohtani's return to the mound on hold, but the two-way superstar may still pitch again this season, manager Dave Roberts said Saturday.
The postponement could impact Ohtani's bid for a fourth straight MVP award in what is viewed as a tight race for the National League honor with Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong.
Speaking after the Dodgers' 2-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers, Roberts revealed the team had shelved plans for Ohtani to pitch Sunday's series finale at Comerica Park because of recurring soreness in his left knee, right biceps and "overall body."
"If any pitcher was feeling like this...we wouldn't run him out there," Roberts said.
Ohtani has been dealing with the knee issue since June and has not pitched since his last two-way appearance on July 3, after which he reported discomfort in his biceps.
Following a halt to his pitching-related activities, he resumed playing catch early this month and threw his first live batting practice on Aug. 22, marking his first time facing a hitter in 50 days. He threw a short bullpen session Friday and was "not feeling 100 percent" afterward, according to Roberts.
"To be quite frank, I just don't see everything getting to 100 percent by the end of the season," Roberts told MLB.com. "But there's a lot of pitchers that are not 100 percent and still viable. So again, it's just not an exact science."
Thanks to their deep pitching lineup, the Dodgers can prioritize Ohtani's offensive output as he works to regain full health, the skipper said.
"His value offensively is hugely important, and so we can't compromise that in any fashion," Roberts said.
Ohtani went 1-for-4 to snap a two-game hitless streak on Saturday, but his batting average has slipped from around .300 earlier this month to .283.
Meanwhile, Crow-Armstrong, viewed by many observers as the front-runner in the race, bolstered his candidacy for a first MVP award with three home runs in a 17-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds.
