Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani is unlikely to pitch in the upcoming All-Star Game after the team altered his throwing routine following a right biceps issue during a game on Friday, July 3, 2026, in Los Angeles.
The two-way player exited the game against the San Diego Padres in the seventh inning as a precautionary measure.
Before his departure, he threw a season-high 110 pitches over six innings, allowing three runs and seven hits while striking out nine batters.
Ohtani experienced discomfort during his sixth-inning at-bat before the Dodgers ultimately secured a 4-3 victory. His pitching ERA rose from 1.58 to 1.79 following the outing.
"It's the same location that I felt a couple months ago," said Ohtani through a translator.
The player noted that the previous discomfort resolved quickly and expressed confidence that this occurrence would follow a similar pattern.
"It went away pretty relatively quickly, so I expect that to happen again," said Ohtani through a translator.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed that Ohtani would sit out Saturday's game to focus on recovery and medical evaluation.
Roberts noted that the prior biceps issue had been minor.
"He's a quick healer and finds a way to get back," said Roberts.
The team had already pushed Ohtani's regular Wednesday pitching slot back to Friday to manage his physical workload during a grueling stretch of 13 games in 13 days.
"He feels good, the body feels good," said Roberts.
According to Roberts, Ohtani's knee condition has shown significant improvement recently, which the team views as a positive sign.
"The knee feels as good as it's felt in quite some time, so that's encouraging," said Roberts.
Roberts, who will manage the National League All-Stars in Philadelphia, indicated that the tight timeline makes an All-Star pitching appearance highly improbable if Ohtani makes his final scheduled regular-season start on July 10.
"I haven't formally said it, but if you just kind of do the math, it would be hard to imagine.
But I don't have to make that decision quite yet," said Roberts.
The manager also stated that skipping Ohtani's final scheduled start before the midsummer break remains a viable option for the team.
"Shohei hasn't had his best stuff recently and that's the truth," said Roberts.
Roberts observed that Ohtani has experienced recent drops in his fastball command and the effectiveness of his sweeper pitch.
"The fastball command hasn't been what it was earlier in the season, the sweeper hasn't been the same," said Roberts.
Despite the pitching uncertainty, Ohtani remains the confirmed starting designated hitter for the National League after leading the first phase of fan voting with 3,341,257 votes.
