Shohei Ohtani out for third straight game as Dodgers weigh IL stint

Shohei Ohtani is out of the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup for a third consecutive game, and the club is now weighing whether to place him on the injured list, MLB.com's Sonja Chen reported.

What happened

The current absence began to take shape earlier this week. A day after going 0-for-4 with four strikeouts, Ohtani was out of the lineup on September 3. He remained out the following day, and again on Saturday, as the Dodgers weighed a potential IL stint. No official decision had been announced as of Sonja Chen's report.

The physical concerns behind the absences have been building for some time. Per earlier Posterior Wire reporting, Ohtani has not pitched since July 3 due to a right knee issue, and he missed games with neck and right biceps problems as well. The IL consideration now in play reflects the accumulation of those concerns rather than any single new development reported Saturday.

Why it matters

Ohtani is the kind of player whose absence reshapes a lineup even when the team around him is functioning well — and the Dodgers, at 84-57, are functioning quite well. But the question of whether this is a brief rest or something requiring a formal roster designation carries real operational weight, particularly as the calendar pushes deep into September.

Under general league rules, a two-way player placed on the injured list would be subject to the 15-day IL minimum rather than the 10-day window available to position players. That distinction matters when a club is managing a September roster and trying to preserve flexibility for the stretch run and beyond. The Dodgers have not announced any move, and Sonja Chen's report frames the IL discussion as ongoing deliberation rather than a settled outcome.

The timing also intersects with the expanded September roster. Since September 1, clubs are permitted to carry 28 active players rather than the standard 26, which gives the Dodgers some additional cushion in how they manage the situation — though any IL placement would still carry its own minimum-day clock regardless of roster size.

The numbers

The Dodgers enter Saturday at 84-57 (.596), sitting first in the NL West. They have won two straight and carry a division magic number of 12 — meaning any combination of Dodgers wins and second-place losses totaling 12 clinches the division title.

Where the club stands

Los Angeles holds first place in the NL West with that magic number of 12, and a two-game winning streak provides some forward momentum heading into a home series against the Washington Nationals at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium.

Saturday's game features Tyler Glasnow on the mound for Los Angeles against Washington's Cade Cavalli. Sunday's probable starter for the Dodgers is listed as TBD opposite Andrew Alvarez. The homestand continues Monday against the Cincinnati Reds, with Chase Burns scheduled for Cincinnati and the Dodgers' starter again listed as TBD.

The Dodgers have been managing their roster actively in the days surrounding this development. Earlier this week, the club outrighted catcher Ben Rortvedt to Triple-A Oklahoma City after designating him for assignment, per earlier Posterior Wire reporting. Manager Dave Roberts also considered a left-field platoon for Teoscar Hernández before opting to keep him in the lineup full-time following recent signs of improvement, per that same reporting. The roster picture has been in motion well before the Ohtani question arrived at its current crossroads.

What we don't know yet

The Dodgers have not announced a decision on an IL placement as of Sonja Chen's report. No timetable for Ohtani's return has been reported. The specific nature of the physical concerns driving the current absence — whether it is the previously reported right knee issue, the neck and biceps problems, or some combination — has not been detailed in the current report. The IL consideration remains a possibility under active discussion rather than a settled course of action.

It is also worth noting that Ohtani has not pitched since July 3 regardless of his status as a hitter, so any IL designation, if it comes, would be evaluated in the context of his role as a designated hitter for the remainder of the regular season. Whether the club would use the standard 15-day IL applicable to two-way players, or pursue a different designation, has not been reported.

The broader September picture adds another layer of uncertainty. With the roster expanded to 28, the Dodgers have some flexibility in how they carry Ohtani on the active list even while he is not playing — but that flexibility has limits, and three consecutive absences without a formal designation is the kind of situation that tends to resolve itself one way or another fairly quickly.

What to watch

The most immediate question is whether the Dodgers announce an IL move before or during the weekend series against Washington. If a placement is made, the 15-day clock for a two-way player would set the earliest possible return window, though the club has not indicated any target date.

Watch the lineup card for Saturday's game against Cade Cavalli — Ohtani's presence or absence there will be the first concrete signal of where the deliberation has landed. If he is out again, the pressure to formalize the situation with an IL move is likely to grow.

Beyond the immediate roster mechanics, the Dodgers' magic number of 12 means the division race itself is not in serious jeopardy. The more pressing question is how much of the final weeks of the regular season Ohtani is available for, and in what capacity, heading into October. That answer, for now, remains open.