The 3,341,257 fans who voted Shohei Ohtani into the 2026 MLB All-Star Game will not get their Philadelphia spectacle. Los Angeles is playing a much longer game.
The Dodgers scratched Ohtani from his scheduled pitching start against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday, then ruled him out of Tuesday’s All-Star Game because of continued irritation in his left knee. He remained in the lineup as the designated hitter and finished the weekend with two more home runs. Surgery is not part of the plan, but the knee will be drained and treated during the break.
The goal right now is simple: calm the knee down and get him ready for the second-half push.
This is not a shutdown. Los Angeles expects Ohtani to continue hitting and pitching, but the decision offers another reminder that managing baseball’s only full-time, two-way superstar requires more than checking whether he can play tonight.
A June warning never fully went away
The knee problem first forced the Dodgers to act during their June 11 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.
Ohtani homered and reached base in all four of his plate appearances during an 8-6 victory. His night ended in the seventh inning after he felt discomfort behind his left knee while attempting to steal a base. A foul ball erased the play, but the pain remained. Manager Dave Roberts removed him rather than risk making the problem worse.
The following day, Ohtani missed the series opener against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field. Imaging revealed no structural damage, and he returned to the lineup one day later, but the knee never fully settled. Los Angeles also cut back his stolen-base activity while the medical staff tracked how the joint responded to pitching and daily hitting work.
Recovery has not followed a clean line. Some days, the swelling eases. At other times, it limits how far Ohtani can bend or straighten the knee. That uncertainty pushed the Dodgers toward treatment instead of sending him across the country for an exhibition.
Flying to Philadelphia, handling public appearances and participating in All-Star activities would have added stress without helping Los Angeles win a game. Resting him was the sensible choice.
The arsenal still has power, but the mechanics matter
Ohtani can still drive a baseball with the knee bothering him. He proved that by homering twice during the Arizona series and finishing the first half with a .293 average, 22 home runs, 58 RBIs and a .952 OPS.
Pitching creates a different problem.
Because Ohtani throws right-handed, all his momentum comes down on his left knee. That front leg absorbs the force as his body moves toward home plate, then stabilizes him through release. Swelling can disrupt that chain even when it does not stop him from swinging a bat.
Ohtani believes his pitching mechanics may be adding pressure to the knee. He plans to study how he plants his foot and make adjustments that reduce the strain. Any change must be handled carefully because a pitcher cannot casually alter his landing pattern without risking command, balance or pitch quality.
The Dodgers must now judge how quickly the treatment works. They also need to see whether Ohtani can adjust his mechanics without losing what made his first half so effective.
His first half ended with an 8-2 record and a 1.79 ERA across 14 starts. Through his first 10 outings, Ohtani allowed only five earned runs in 61 innings. Over his final four starts, he gave up 12 earned runs in 24⅔ innings.
The results worsened, but the arsenal did not simply go flat. In the last of those four starts against San Diego, Ohtani reached 99.5 mph with a four-seam fastball and snapped off an 87.2 mph sweeper to Fernando Tatis Jr. That outing still produced nine strikeouts in six innings, even though he allowed three runs and seven hits.
Those readings matter. The raw velocity and breaking-ball shape were still present, which points the Dodgers toward a command and delivery problem rather than a simple loss of stuff. A sore landing knee can create small timing errors and make a repeatable delivery much harder to hold deep into an outing.
The Dodgers are managing two jobs in one body
Most starting pitchers can spend the days between outings recovering, studying hitters and completing controlled throwing sessions.
Ohtani does not get that luxury.
Even on his days off from throwing, he still grinds through four or five plate appearances. He runs the bases, takes batting practice and prepares to carry the middle of the lineup. When the pitching side rests, the hitting side keeps working.
No modern player has carried this combination of responsibility across a full season at Ohtani’s level. That is what makes the Dodgers so dangerous. It is also what makes every physical issue harder to manage.
The knee has not been his only concern. Ohtani has also dealt with tightness in his right biceps and a blister on his pitching hand. The team has not treated any of those issues as a major injury, but the total workload matters more than any single complaint.
If the swelling returns after the break, Los Angeles has several practical options. A strict six-man rotation would give Ohtani an extra recovery day between starts. The club could also skip one turn or lower his pitch count for several outings.
None of those measures has been announced. Los Angeles wants Ohtani back on his regular schedule, but it cannot let that schedule become more important than the player following it.
Ohtani’s apology shows what the decision cost
Missing Philadelphia mattered to Ohtani because fans made him the leading vote-getter in the majors. He did not treat the withdrawal as a routine medical update.
Speaking through interpreter Will Ireton after Friday night’s 9-3 loss to Arizona at Dodger Stadium, Ohtani apologized directly to the people who selected him and acknowledged why they voted for him.
“I feel bad for the fans who voted for me,” Ohtani said, adding that he regretted withdrawing after fans had chosen him.
The disappointment was real. Ohtani understands that fans voted to see the full experience, not his name sitting on an unavailable list.
Replies to the Dodgers’ post on X carried one clear message: rest him through the break, protect the knee and save the full two-way workload for October.
That reaction captured the split between national disappointment and the local priority. Baseball fans wanted Ohtani on its biggest July stage. Dodgers supporters want him standing on the mound in October.
As much as Ohtani wanted to put on a show in Philadelphia, an All-Star exhibition means little compared with a healthy, two-way MVP carrying this team through the postseason.
The withdrawal buys Los Angeles time. Treatment may calm the knee, but the real test will come when Ohtani lands on that left leg again at game speed.
Los Angeles is not choosing between Ohtani the hitter and Ohtani the pitcher yet. The Dodgers are trying to make sure they never have to.
READ MORE: Shohei Ohtani: Blasts 300th Career Home Run, Sparking Talk Of 500 Club
FAQS
Q1. Why is Shohei Ohtani missing the 2026 MLB All-Star Game?
Ohtani withdrew because of continued irritation and swelling in his left knee. The Dodgers want him rested and treated before the second half.
Q2. Will Shohei Ohtani need knee surgery?
No surgery is planned. The Dodgers intend to drain and treat the knee during the All-Star break.
Q3. Can Shohei Ohtani still hit with the knee injury?
Yes. Ohtani remained in the lineup as the designated hitter and finished the first half with 22 home runs.
Q4. How does the knee problem affect Ohtani’s pitching?
His left leg absorbs the force of his right-handed delivery. Swelling could affect his balance, command and ability to repeat his mechanics.
Q5. Could the Dodgers reduce Ohtani’s pitching workload?
They could use a six-man rotation, skip a start or reduce his pitch count. The team has not announced any of those changes.
I live for the roar of the crowd, the rush of a new city, and the kind of moments that turn into lifelong memories. Sports keep me energized, travel keeps me grounded, and every journey gives me a fresh story to tell.
