NEW YORK (AP) — Fears appeared to be over as Los Angeles Dodgers players prepared with smiles on their faces at Yankee Stadium. World Series Game 3: Shohei Ohtani was scheduled to play Monday night despite partially dislocating his left shoulder.
Otani player was injured When he was caught stealing a base, he slid to second base to end the seventh inning. 4-2 win on Saturday night In the second game in Los Angeles, they faced the New York Yankees.
Fans and teammates wondered if Sho would be able to go this week.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts made it seem almost certain that Ohtani would be at the top of the batting order.
“I don’t think he’s going to miss Game 3,” Roberts said before Sunday night’s practice. “If he’s fit and able to play, I don’t see any reason not to play.”
Ohtani did not travel to New York with his team for diagnostic imaging. He was on another plane.
“Doctors are running all over the place when it comes to test results. I don’t have them,” Roberts said. “This is due to the training staff. Shohei was in good shape this morning, had a wide range of motion, and had strong strength.”
Ohtani was scheduled to arrive at the stadium in time for practice, which begins at 6 p.m. EDT. Roberts said Ohtani has been dry swinging since his injury and planned to take tee shots and batting practice in an indoor cage.
“You’ll see,” the manager said. “He still has to continue training and swinging the bat, but again, we assume he’ll feel better today than he did yesterday and tomorrow he’ll feel better than he did today.”
Roberts said the injury causes pain, but “it’s just something we all put up with.”
“It doesn’t look like he’s in any danger,” he added. “It’s his left shoulder, his back shoulder. So even if he’s available, I don’t know how that’s going to affect his batting.”
The Dodgers, seeking their eighth title and second in five years, led 2-0 in the seven-game series. Walker Buehler will start Game 3 against Los Angeles’ Clark Schmidt.
“If he’s able to play, if he’s willing to play, he’ll play,” Roberts said of Ohtani. “Schmidt will know that Shohei is in the box, so that means everything.”
Ohtani clutched his left forearm after being tagged by shortstop Anthony Volpe on a foot-first slide for the final out in the seventh inning. He lay near the bag for several minutes before leaving the field under the care of athletic trainers.
The likely National League MVP was 0-for-3 with one walk in Game 2. He went 1-for-8 in the first two games of the Fall Classic and is batting .260 with three home runs and 10 RBIs in his first postseason in the majors.
a Won American League MVP twice Ohtani, who played for the Los Angeles Angels, joined the Dodgers in December of last year after achieving a record. $700 million, 10-year contract.
The 30-year-old Ohtani batted .310 with 54 home runs, 130 RBIs and 59 stolen bases, becoming the first player to achieve at least those numbers. 50 home runs, 50 stolen bases In a certain season. The two-way star did not pitch this season as he was undergoing medical treatment. Elbow surgery on September 19, 2023restricted to designated hitters.
“Anytime you have probably the best baseball player in the world, it’s going to free up other players to play with a little less pressure and a little more freedom,” Buehler said. “He’s been a great addition to the clubhouse and to our team. So it’s been a great year to watch him 50-50, day-to-day and the kind of person he is. Too.”
Ohtani was one of the few players on the Dodgers roster to make it through the season without major injuries. Almost the entire starting rotation is on injured reserve, and the team leads the majors in days on injured reserve with 36 days and 2,342 days on injured reserve.
Among position players, Mookie Betts was out for nearly two months with a broken bone in his left hand, and Max Muncy was out for nearly half the season with a right oblique strain. Freddie Freeman is playing in the postseason with a sprained right ankle.
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