Shohei Ohtani will not pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks and will also miss the 2026 MLB All‑Star Game, with the team citing continued irritation in his left knee. The two‑way phenom is not shutting things down entirely, though, and is expected to stay in the lineup as the designated hitter through the weekend. The Dodgers say they plan to address the knee after the Diamondbacks series so he is set up for the second half of the season. They have not put a clock on when he might return to the mound.
The team characterized the move as precautionary, scratching Ohtani from his scheduled start against Arizona because of the ongoing knee issue while keeping him in the DH role for the series, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. With interventions planned immediately after the set with the Diamondbacks, the Dodgers also confirmed Ohtani will not be heading to Philadelphia for All‑Star Week.
What the Dodgers said
The club said Ohtani will “undergo interventions on his knee to put him in the best position for the second half of the season,” with the announcement stressing that the decision is a precaution, ABC7 Los Angeles reported. The Dodgers did not spell out what those treatments will be and declined to give any timetable for when he might be ready to take the ball again.
All‑Star implications
Ohtani had already been voted in as the National League’s starting designated hitter, but the way his pre‑break pitching schedule stacked up left very little room for a cameo on the mound in Philadelphia. As noted by MLB.com, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts acknowledged that “if you just kind of do the math it would be hard to imagine” Ohtani pitching in the All‑Star Game even before this latest call.
Knee history and workload
Ohtani first exited a game in mid‑June because of inflammation behind his left knee and then sat out the next day’s lineup while imaging showed no structural damage, according to the Los Angeles Times. Roberts and the Dodgers have repeatedly framed their handling of the situation as proactive, trying to stay ahead of the soreness rather than sending the two‑way star to the injured list.
Game night and what to expect
Friday’s series opener at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium is set for a 7:10 p.m. first pitch, according to the team’s first‑half schedule release. The Dodgers say Ohtani will keep hitting while the medical staff tracks how the knee responds, and that the planned post‑series interventions are aimed at having him ready for the stretch run, per the club’s release on MLB.com.
The organization has promised further updates as Ohtani moves through treatment. For now, fans can expect to see him in the batter’s box but not on the hill, with his workload after the break likely to dictate how the Dodgers shape their rotation for the back half of the season.
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