Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani suffered a partial dislocation of his left shoulder in the seventh inning of Saturday’s Game 2 of the World Series against the New York Yankees while attempting to steal second base.
Ohtani’s status for Monday’s Game 3 in New York remains uncertain. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts described Ohtani’s injury as a “little left shoulder subluxation” and confirmed that he would undergo imaging tests either on Saturday night or Sunday.
The incident occurred when Ohtani was tagged out by Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe on a feet-first slide, ending the inning. Ohtani clutched his left forearm and remained on the field for several minutes before being assisted off by trainers.
“We’ll know more in the next couple of days,” Roberts said. “The strength was great, the range of motion was good, so we’re encouraged. But obviously, I can’t speculate until we get the scans. Once we get those, we’ll have more information.”
The Dodgers held on for a 4-2 win, taking a 2-0 lead in the Series. Ohtani, the likely National League MVP, went 0-for-3 with a walk in the game and is 1-for-8 in the first two games of the Fall Classic. In his first MLB postseason, he is batting .260 with three home runs and 10 RBIs.
“That was tough. You never like seeing the best player in the game get injured like that,” Yankees star Aaron Judge said. “He’s trying to steal a base, and something like that happens. But hopefully, it’s all good news. We’ll see what happens.”
Ohtani had been one of the few Dodgers players to avoid major injury this season. The team’s pitching staff has faced numerous injuries, with nearly every starting pitcher spending time on the injured list. Key position players have also faced setbacks, with Mookie Betts missing nearly two months due to a broken left hand and Max Muncy sidelined for half the season with a right oblique strain. Freddie Freeman is playing through the postseason with a severely sprained right ankle.
Despite these challenges, Betts remains optimistic about the team’s resilience if Ohtani is sidelined. He noted that the Dodgers overcame their injury woes to secure the most wins in the majors during the regular season and reach the World Series for the fourth time in eight years.
