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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.
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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.
