CHICAGO — A day after making an early exit in the Dodgers’ Thursday night win over the Pirates with left knee inflammation, Shohei Ohtani remained out of the team’s lineup for Friday’s series opener against the White Sox.

Ohtani’s absence doesn’t necessarily mean his injury is worse than initially expected, especially given the Dodgers’ tendency to be cautious with even minor ailments to star players.

But, it does not represent a best-case scenario, either, after manager Dave Roberts expressed hope on Thursday night of having the two-way star back in action on Friday. 

Ohtani was removed early from Thursday’s game in Pittsburgh after feeling knee discomfort while running the bases. 

Afterward, Roberts said that Ohtani’s injury was not believed to be serious, nor did it appear to be related to the knee surgery he had in 2019 to address a rare congenital condition.

However, when the Dodgers announced their lineup for Friday’s game at Rate Field, the four-time MVP was not listed in his usual leadoff spot as designated hitter.

Roberts had said the club would “see how he comes in” on Friday before making a decision on his availability. Evidently, he hadn’t bounced back well enough to immediately return to action.

There was no obvious indication on Thursday night that Ohtani was dealing with knee discomfort — which Roberts believed had begun after a stolen base attempt in the fourth inning.

Ohtani even took another at-bat in the fifth inning of the Dodgers’ eventual win over the Pirates, before Roberts was alerted by the team’s medical staff in the sixth of the knee issue.

At that point, Roberts said the club decided to be “proactive” by taking Ohtani — who already had two hits, including his 13th home run of the season, and two walks on the night — out of the game.

The manager said his concern was “not high” with Ohtani’s status, and that he felt “good about him being in there tomorrow.”

Now that he’s not, concern over the severity of his injury will linger a little longer.