Shohei Ohtani’s Biceps Tightness Scared the Dodgers. Here’s the Latest on His Return.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been cruising. They’re 58-31, sitting atop the NL West, and looking like a team that could absolutely win a third straight World Series. But for a few hours on Friday night, the whole operation felt a little fragile.

Shohei Ohtani felt something in his biceps during his last at-bat against the Padres. Same spot he felt it a couple months ago, he said through interpreter Will Ireton. That kind of thing makes you hold your breath when you’re talking about a guy who both hits and pitches at an MVP level.

Ohtani got July 4 off, and according to MLB.com, he could be back in the lineup as soon as July 5. The Dodgers are hopeful. They need him. Their rotation is already banged up, and losing Ohtani even for a few games would sting.

“It’s the same location that I felt a couple months ago,” Ohtani said. “It went away pretty relatively quickly, so I expect that to happen again. On the swing, I did feel it, but I was able to play through it.”

Dave Roberts isn’t panicking. But he’s paying attention.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani is a quick healer and usually finds a way back onto the field. But he also stressed that the team needs to listen to what Ohtani’s body is telling them. Being a two-way player takes a toll, and ignoring a biceps issue — especially one that’s already popped up before — could turn a minor scare into a bigger problem.

“I do think that for us to read and react and hear what his body is telling him is really important,” Roberts said.

It’s the kind of thing that sounds obvious but gets overlooked when you’re chasing a ring. The Dodgers have been through some rough patches this season, but they’ve been rolling lately. They don’t want anything messing with that momentum.

The Padres series keeps delivering drama

Los Angeles plays San Diego again on Saturday night. That alone is a storyline. The Padres are one of the few teams that can actually push the Dodgers in the division, and now there’s this injury subplot on top of it. Ohtani’s status will be the first thing everyone checks when lineups drop.

The team hasn’t confirmed anything beyond the day-to-day label. But the fact that Ohtani himself said the tightness went away relatively quickly is a decent sign. He’s not a guy who tends to overstate these things.

For now, the Dodgers are holding their breath just a little. Ohtani could be back Saturday. If he’s not, people will start asking tougher questions. But the early read is that this is more of a scare than a crisis.