He acknowledged the injection provided temporary relief rather than a permanent solution, hinting at a postseason evaluation.
"In terms of running, I'm not exactly at 100% capacity," Ohtani said.
"When I know it's not, then it's always a little harder to be aggressive on the basepath."
Ohtani expressed hope that his knee condition is improving, but his status on the mound remains uncertain.
"I don't think the team has really come to a place exactly where, do I pitch through it or not?"
he said. "That's still really up in the air."
Roberts said it is highly unlikely Ohtani would be sidelined from pitching entirely during the postseason.
"Given where we're at in the calendar, if the knee continues to get better, the arm continues to feel better, I would expect him to pitch," Roberts said.
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He added that once cleared, Ohtani will require a structured buildup process before returning to game action.
