Los Angeles Dodgers to place Shohei Ohtani on injured list, call up top prospect

Sept. 10 (UPI) -- The Los Angeles Dodgers will place Shohei Ohtani on the injured list and call up top prospect Josue De Paula, manager Dave Roberts told reporters Thursday.

Due to his placement on the 15-day injured list, which is backdated to Monday, Ohtani can't return until Sept. 23. The All-Star designated hitter-pitcher missed six of the Dodgers' previous seven games, including a 14-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday in Los Angeles , due to a right arm injury.

"I think, talking to Shohei, the doctors and the training staff, it's the right thing to do," Roberts said at his postgame news conference at Dodger Stadium. "We tried to kick the can as much as we could."

Roberts said Ohtani would be in the Dodgers' lineup if the playoffs started Thursday. He said he is confident he will be "ready go to" by the end of his stint on the injured list. Roberts said the majority of Ohtani's discomfort is coming from his right bicep when he swings.

Ohtani, who won four MVP awards in the last five seasons, hit .277, with 30 home runs and 80 RBIs through 130 games this season. He owns a 1.79 ERA on the mound, but hasn't pitched since July 3.

De Paula, the No. 6 prospect in baseball, is set to make his MLB debut against the Miami Marlins on Friday in Miami. The 21-year-old outfielder hit .303, with 27 home runs, 104 RBIs and 31 stolen bases through 124 games this season for the Double A Tulsa Drillers.

Roberts said Ohtani will be likely shut down swinging for two or three days to calm his injury.

"With Shohei, it's more, let's take the 15 days, get a reset, get him feeling better and know that we still have a week of baseball games left and build him up all the while during this 15 day stint to get the best of him for the postseason," Roberts said.

The Dodgers (89-57) own MLB's second-best record, trailing only the 91-56 Milwaukee Brewers . They hold an 11-game lead on the San Diego Padres in the National League West with 16 games remaining on their regular season schedule.

The Dodgers will battle the Marlins in a series opener at 7:10 p.m. EDT Friday in Miami. That contest will launch a seven-game road trip, which also features a four-game series with the Cincinnati Reds.

Their final three series of the season will take place in California, with six games against the San Francisco Giants and three against the San Diego Padres.