Shohei Ohtani not expected to pitch again in 2026, per Yahoo Sports

Shohei Ohtani is managing injury concerns and, per Yahoo Sports, may not pitch again in 2026. The report adds a layer of uncertainty to a situation that has been developing across the past several days for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are otherwise in the middle of a four-game winning streak and sitting on a division magic number of 9.

What happened

Yahoo Sports reported Sunday that as Ohtani continues to manage injury concerns, a return to the mound in 2026 is unlikely. The report stops short of ruling it out entirely, framing it as a probability rather than a certainty — a distinction worth preserving as the Dodgers navigate the final weeks of the regular season.

That framing aligns with what Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said separately, per earlier Posterior Wire reporting: Ohtani is not likely to pitch again in 2026, with right knee discomfort and a sore right biceps cited as the underlying concerns. Roberts also expressed hope that Ohtani could return to the lineup as a designated hitter as early as Monday, though no IL decision had been announced as of Sunday.

Why it matters

Ohtani's value to the Dodgers operates on two tracks simultaneously, which is what makes his status so operationally complicated. As a pitcher, the question is effectively answered for the regular season, per the reporting. As a hitter, the situation is more fluid — Roberts's stated hope for a Monday DH return suggests the bat may come back before any pitching decision is revisited, if it is revisited at all.

For a club with a division magic number of 9 and a record of 86-57 (.601), the urgency around Ohtani's pitching is somewhat cushioned by the standings. The Dodgers are not scrambling for rotation depth in a wild-card race; they are managing a star's health with one eye on October. That context does not make the news smaller — it just changes the shape of the concern.

The 15-day injured list applies to pitchers and two-way players under general league rules, and as of Sunday, no IL placement had been announced. The Dodgers were described as weighing that option earlier in the week, with a Sunday evaluation planned after a cage session, per prior reporting. What that evaluation produced had not been formally disclosed as of the Yahoo Sports report.

Ohtani has been out of the starting lineup for four consecutive games, per earlier reporting. The absence has stretched across multiple days without a formal roster move, leaving the club in a holding pattern that is familiar to anyone who has watched September injury management unfold. The difference here is the player involved and the dual nature of his contributions.

Is Ohtani playing Monday?

Per Dave Roberts, as reported earlier, there is hope that Ohtani could return to the lineup as a designated hitter Monday. That is a hope, not a scheduled appearance — and it applies only to his role as a hitter. His pitching status, per Yahoo Sports and Roberts's own comments, is a separate and considerably less optimistic conversation.

The Dodgers host the Cincinnati Reds on Monday at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium, with probable pitchers listed as TBD on the Los Angeles side against Chase Burns. Whether Ohtani appears in that lineup remains to be seen.

The numbers

The Dodgers enter the week at 86-57 (.601), first in the NL West, with a division magic number of 9 and a four-game winning streak. The upcoming home series against Cincinnati runs through Wednesday, with Tarik Skubal projected to start Tuesday against Nick Lodolo, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto lined up for Wednesday against Rhett Lowder.

Where the club stands

Los Angeles holds first place in the NL West at 86-57 (.601), riding a four-game winning streak into a home series against the Reds. With a magic number of 9, the division title is within reach, and the club's rotation for the week — Skubal on Tuesday, Yamamoto on Wednesday — reflects a roster that has been actively reshuffled in recent days.

A week removed from Bobby Miller being activated from the 60-day IL for his 2026 debut, the Dodgers' pitching picture has been in motion on multiple fronts. Miller's return added a piece; Ohtani's uncertain status on the mound removes one, at least for now.

The three-game set against Cincinnati offers a relatively controlled environment for the Dodgers to manage Ohtani's return, if it happens. The Reds are not a division rival, and the Dodgers' cushion in the standings affords them some flexibility in how they deploy their roster. That flexibility is the luxury of a four-game winning streak and a magic number in single digits.

What we don't know yet

The Yahoo Sports report does not specify the nature of Ohtani's injury concerns beyond what has been previously reported — right knee discomfort and a sore right biceps, per Dave Roberts. No IL placement has been announced, no timetable has been attached to his return as a hitter, and no formal club statement has been issued on his pitching status for the remainder of the season.

The language Yahoo Sports used frames the pitching outlook as unlikely, not impossible. That is a probabilistic framing, not a declaration, and the Dodgers have not publicly closed the door. Whether Monday's lineup card answers the DH question is the most immediate thing to watch.

The absence of an IL move after four consecutive games out of the lineup suggests the club believes a return is near enough to avoid the roster complication. But belief and reality do not always align on the same timeline, and the longer Ohtani remains out without a formal designation, the more the situation resembles the kind of roster limbo that teams try to avoid in September.

What to watch

The Monday lineup against Cincinnati is the first concrete checkpoint. If Ohtani appears as a designated hitter, it would represent a meaningful step — though it would not resolve the pitching question, which per the reporting exists on a separate and longer timeline.

Beyond Monday, the Dodgers' rotation management through the final weeks of the regular season will be worth tracking. With a magic number of 9 and a four-game winning streak, the club has some room to be careful. Whether "careful" means an IL stint, a continued absence without a formal designation, or something else is the question the reporting leaves open — and the one the Dodgers have not yet answered publicly.

The dual nature of Ohtani's role means the club is managing two separate injury timelines, two separate return paths, and two separate sets of operational consequences. The pitching side, per Yahoo Sports, appears to be trending toward a conclusion. The hitting side remains unresolved. That split is the story, and it is the thing to watch as the Dodgers move through the final stretch of the regular season.