Shohei Ohtani Unlikely to Pitch Again in 2026, Claims Dave Roberts

Shohei Ohtani has a 8-2 record with a 1.79 ERA in 14 starts from the mound this season.

Shohei Ohtani Unlikely to Pitch Again in 2026, Claims Dave Roberts

Shohei Ohtani and Dave Roberts (Image via X/@UnderdogMLB/MLB)

The Los Angeles Dodgers were without Shohei Ohtani once again on Sunday. The Japanese international missed a 4th straight game due to health issues. While manager Dave Roberts is hopeful that he will be back on Monday, he is not so sure about the chances of him pitching again this year.

The 2-way star has not thrown a pitch since July. After playing solely as the designated hitter (DH) in the 2024 season, he resumed pitching in June last year.

This year was supposed to be his first full season as a 2-way star since 2023. He had a good start and had impressive numbers from the mound. It was in June that he started dealing with some physical issues.

The 4-time MVP then faced some left knee soreness. He has not pitched since his start on July 3rd and even missed the All-Star Game in Philadelphia.

Last month, he had started working on a throwing program. On August 28, he suffered another setback as he did not feel his best while throwing pitches from the bullpen. On Sunday, Roberts gave a vague response to a question about the team shutting him down as a pitcher.

Not officially. But obviously, if you’re looking at the calendar, how much he’s thrown in the last week, I think we can all do the math.

Dave Roberts told the reporters regarding Shohei Ohtani

Ohtani’s strong start as a pitcher put his name in the mix for the National League Cy Young Award. In 14 starts, the 32-year-old has an 8-2 record with a 1.79 ERA and 95 strikeouts.

However, since he started the pitching program last month, his health and form have dipped a bit. As per reports from MLB.com, he is hitting .204 (19-for-93) with a .704 OPS since August 8. In this time span, he has struck out 32 times and went 0-for-4 in his last start.

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Shohei Ohtani suffers blow in bid for 3 straight NL MVP crown with latest health setbacks

Shohei Ohtani has not been up to his physical best in the past few weeks. The 6-time All-Star has been away from action in the last 4 games as he deals with another health setback. All of this has seen him suffer a blow in his bid for a 3rd straight NL MVP crown.

Shohei Ohtani
Shohei Ohtani (Image via X/@UnderdogMLB)

Last year saw Ohtani pick up another unanimous NL MVP honor as he finished ahead of Juan Soto and Kyle Schwarber. This marked a 2nd straight NL MVP honor in 2 seasons with the Dodgers.

With the start he had this year, many expected him to take this honor again. He then found himself in a race for this award with Chicago Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong.

In the series finale between the Cubs and the Dodgers last month, both stars traded blows left and right and hit 2 home runs in one game. At the end of that game, they were co-favorites to win the award.

Things have now shifted in favor of Crow-Armstrong. While Ohtani watched the action from the sidelines on Sunday, PCA smashed his 40th home run of the season.

He became the first player in Cubs history with 40 home runs and 30 stolen bases in one season. He is now a heavy favorite to win the NL MVP honor over Ohtani.

For the season, PCA now has 40 home runs and 96 RBIs while batting with a .280 average. Ohtani, meanwhile, has 30 home runs and 80 RBIs with a .279 average. This is statistically Ohtani’s worst batting numbers since the 2022 season.

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