Dave Roberts reacts to concerning Shohei Ohtani development before Tigers game

The Los Angeles Dodgers are 81-54 on the precipice of September, first place in the National League West and nine games up on the second-place San Diego Padres. They are in possession of the NL's No. 2 seed.

The Dodgers have done a lot of this winning despite some major injuries to their starting pitching staff. High-paid arms like Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell have missed significant time, but did recently rejoin the staff.

Superstar two-way player Shohei Ohtani started the season on the mound, managing to stay healthy for the first half of the schedule. However, his last start came on July 3 and he has been out with injury since.

Apr 15, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani pitches against the New York Mets in the first inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)

The 32-year-old was supposed to make a start right before the All-Star break, but was scratched because of bicep and knee problems. Almost two months later, it has been left knee inflammation that has kept him off the mound.

Ohtani made 14 starts before injury, spinning 85 ⅔ innings. He is 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA, striking out 95 and walking 26. It was shaping up to be the best pitching season of his illustrious career.

He has not pitched in almost two months now, but it was reported earlier this week that Ohtani might return to the mound on Sunday at the Detroit Tigers. That hope has now been dashed by manager Dave Roberts' recent comments.

The fact that Ohtani might have got back in there Aug. 30 does suggest that he will pitch in September. At that, he should have enough time to build up for the postseason.

During this, the six-time All-Star has still been hitting. In 196 plate appearances since his last pitching appearance, he is slashing .274/.347/.560 (.907 OPS) with 12 home runs and 30 RBIs.

Those are of course elite numbers, but might leave something to be desired seeing as it is Ohtani. Perhaps this knee injury may be affecting him slightly on the hitting side. Even if he does not pitch Sunday, there is plenty of time for a ramp-up before the playoffs begin.