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• Updated Jun 17, 2026 at 1:42pm

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The Los Angeles Dodgers made their decision official on Shohei Ohtani

Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani made a big difference at the plate in Tuesday’s win, and now he’s set to take a big leap forward on the mound after being sidelined by an injury last week.

Ohtani was pulled from last Thursday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates after experiencing swelling in his left knee. The Dodgers star showed on Tuesday that he wasn’t impacted at the plate, hitting the game-deciding solo homer in a win over Tampa Bay, and the team announced he’s ready to take the mound the following day.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced that Ohtani will be able to make his scheduled start against the Rays on Wednesday, with ESPN reporting that the inflammation in his knee had “completely dissipated.”

“I saw that he had just a catch-play right now,” Roberts said of Ohtani’s work. “He’s going to do his touchy-feely deal from the mound in a little bit. I saw him play some catch. Looks good, feels good. Look forward to him making a start [Wednesday].”

Roberts delivered more good news for Ohtani, saying he looked good in some pitching work.

“I saw that he had just a catch-play right now,” Roberts said. “He’s going to do his touchy-feely deal from the mound in a little bit. I saw him play some catch. Looks good, feels good. Look forward to him making a start [Wednesday].”

Ohtani had already made a difference on offense, hitting four home runs in the last six games. Robert said he was confident Ohtani would do the same on the mound, even though Wednesday’s start was in the afternoon and meant an abbreviated preparation.

“He likes his sleep. It’s certainly not ideal, but the calendar is the calendar,” Roberts said. “He’ll get his rest and do what he can to post tomorrow. … Anyone that has anything that has a potential red flag, we’ll certainly be watching closely. But again, he wouldn’t start if we felt that we were going to put him in harm’s way. He’s a competitor.”