Shohei Ohtani out of Dodgers lineup for 4th straight game; Roberts hopeful for Monday

Shohei Ohtani is out of the Los Angeles Dodgers' starting lineup for the fourth consecutive game, per MLB.com, with manager Dave Roberts saying he is "hopeful" Ohtani could return as a designated hitter on Monday against the Cincinnati Reds.

What happened

MLB.com reported that Ohtani was absent from the starting lineup for the fourth straight game, and that Roberts expressed hope for a Monday return. No injured list placement has been announced as of this report.

The absence did not arrive without warning. Two days ago, per Posterior Wire reporting, the Dodgers were weighing a possible 15-day IL placement, with a Sunday cage session scheduled as part of the evaluation process. That evaluation appears to have informed Roberts's cautious optimism, though the club has not made any formal roster move public.

Also reported earlier: Ohtani is not likely to pitch again in 2026, per Roberts, due to right knee discomfort and sore right biceps. The two-way dimension of his season, in other words, is effectively closed. What remains in question is whether he returns to the lineup as a hitter — and when.

Why it matters

Ohtani's absence as a designated hitter removes one of the most consequential bats in the National League from a lineup that is otherwise deep but not infinitely so. The Dodgers are in the middle of a three-game home series against Cincinnati, and the question of whether he is available — even in a limited capacity — carries real weight for how Los Angeles manages its September push.

The timing also intersects with a separate roster disruption. A day ago, per Posterior Wire reporting, catcher Dalton Rushing was placed on the 10-day injured list with right elbow discomfort stemming from a partial UCL tear, after his elbow flared up during pre-game throwing. The Dodgers are navigating multiple moving parts on their active roster at the same moment they are trying to protect a division lead.

Under general league rules, two-way players like Ohtani are subject to the 15-day injured list rather than the 10-day IL available to position players — a distinction that matters if the club ultimately decides a formal placement is necessary. No such decision has been reported.

Is Ohtani playing Monday?

Roberts said he is "hopeful" for a Monday return as DH, per MLB.com. That is the most optimistic public framing the club has offered across four days of absences, but it stops well short of a guarantee. The Sunday cage session that was planned as part of the evaluation process presumably fed into that assessment. Whether Ohtani is in the lineup when the Dodgers host Cincinnati on Monday remains unconfirmed.

The numbers

The Dodgers carry an 85-57 record (.599), sit first in the NL West, and enter Monday's game riding a three-game winning streak. Their division magic number stands at 10.

Monday's probable pitchers are listed as TBD for Los Angeles against Chase Burns for Cincinnati — a notable gap on the Dodgers' side that may reflect ongoing roster fluidity. Tuesday brings Tarik Skubal to the mound against Nick Lodolo, and Wednesday features Yoshinobu Yamamoto against Rhett Lowder.

Where the club stands

At 85-57, the Dodgers are in a position most franchises spend entire decades trying to reach in September. A magic number of 10 means the combination of Los Angeles wins and NL West losses needed to clinch the division title is in the single digits — the kind of arithmetic that makes a manager willing to be patient with a star player rather than rush him back.

The three-game winning streak suggests the lineup has been functional without Ohtani in it, which is both reassuring and a little beside the point. The Dodgers are not trying to survive September; they are trying to arrive at October with their best players intact and available. That calculus shapes every roster decision Roberts makes right now.

Two days ago, per Posterior Wire reporting, the Dodgers activated right-handed pitcher Bobby Miller from the 60-day IL for his 2026 debut after he rehabbed a shoulder injury at Triple-A — a move that addressed a different part of the roster but reflects the same general September logic of getting healthy contributors back on the field.

What we don't know yet

The Dodgers have not announced an injured list placement for Ohtani, and Roberts's "hopeful" framing is not a roster decision. It is possible Ohtani returns Monday as a DH without any IL stint. It is equally possible the club opts for a formal placement to manage his workload through the end of the regular season. Neither outcome has been reported as decided.

The nature and severity of the right knee discomfort and sore right biceps — the conditions cited in earlier reporting as the reasons Ohtani is unlikely to pitch again in 2026 — have not been detailed beyond those descriptions. Whether those conditions affect his ability to hit, and for how long, is the central open question.

What to watch

Roberts's lineup card on Monday is the most immediate signal. If Ohtani appears as the designated hitter against Cincinnati, it would represent the first time in five days he has been in the starting lineup, and would suggest the Sunday evaluation produced a result the club found encouraging. If he is absent again, the conversation about an IL placement will almost certainly intensify.

The Dodgers' upcoming schedule — three games against Cincinnati at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium to open the week — offers a relatively contained window to monitor his status before the calendar moves further into September. With a magic number of 10 and a three-game winning streak, Los Angeles has the standing to be careful. Whether careful means Monday or sometime after that is what Roberts, and the rest of the baseball world, is waiting to find out.