The Dodgers came out of the All-Star break looking sharp. They took the first game against the Yankees in New York on Friday, then Saturday got washed out. But the real story in Los Angeles right now isn’t about wins or weather. It’s about Shohei Ohtani’s knee and what it means for a front office that already has its hands full.
Ohtani missed the All-Star festivities because of that knee issue, and things haven’t improved. According to the Los Angeles Times, Bill Shaikin reported the team is no longer scheduling Ohtani to pitch on Wednesday. There’s no timeline for when he’ll get back on the mound. That’s a problem.
Manager Dave Roberts tried to downplay it a bit, calling it wear and tear. “I think it’s a little bit, it’s just like all of us, all athletes, that kind of have wear and tear,” Roberts said. “That’s just part of it, and now it’s just kind of showing itself a little bit, and then you got to manage it. I think that it’s the years of sliding, pitching, hitting and all that stuff.”
That all sounds reasonable. But the Dodgers don’t have a lot of room for reasonable right now. They’re in win-now mode, always, and the pitching staff is beat up. Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Edwin Diaz, and now Ohtani all have injury concerns. The trade deadline is August 3rd and the pressure is building.
Skubal keeps coming up
Shaikin didn’t mince words. He wrote that it’s not Tarik Skubal or bust for the Dodgers, but added they should trade for someone they’d actually start in a playoff game. Skubal is the best arm available right now and every contender wants him. A deal between LA and Detroit would feel like the final boss of this trade season. The Dodgers have basically grabbed every big name on the market the last few years. Adding Skubal would be the kind of move that gets everyone talking.
But they might have to pay a steep price. The Tigers know what they have. The Dodgers farm system isn’t what it used to be, but they still have enough pieces to make something happen if they’re serious. And they have to be serious, because this rotation isn’t getting healthier on its own.
The real question is whether Ohtani even pitches again this season. Nobody has said that out loud yet, but it’s hanging in the air. The Dodgers are hoping he can return sooner than later. Hope isn’t a plan, though. Not for a team that expects to play deep into October.
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