World Series 2024: Shohei Ohtani’s shoulder injury casts a shroud of uncertainty even after Dodgers take 2-0 series lead

LOS ANGELES — As Shohei Ohtani bolted toward second base, the Dodger Stadium crowd readied for another electric moment on a night that had already featured plenty for the home fans to cheer about. Home runs from Tommy Edman, Teoscar Hernández and Freddie Freeman had the ballpark buzzing in the early going of the Dodgers’ 4-2 victory in Game 2, and the Dodgers were coasting with a three-run lead and a locked-in Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the mound.

But the run production had ceased in the middle innings. So after Ohtani drew a walk against Clay Holmes in the bottom of the seventh, he decided to put his game-changing speed to work to try to help manufacture an insurance run with the dangerous Hernández at the plate with two outs. On the first pitch from Holmes to Hernández — a slider for a strike — Ohtani took off. A perfect throw from Yankees catcher Austin Wells was snared by second baseman Gleyber Torres and swiped down onto Ohtani’s leg just before he arrived at the base. A clear caught stealing.

And for a moment, that’s all it was. With the third out recorded, Torres trotted off the field, and the crowd let out a sigh of disappointment that Ohtani’s attempt to spark something had failed. It was also an odd sight, one Dodgers fans aren’t used to; Ohtani’s rampant base-stealing that became such a fixture of his historic 2024 campaign has seemingly vanished in October, as he has yet to swipe a bag successfully this month while being caught twice. This, after he stole 36 consecutive bases without being stymied to end the regular season, was a peculiar development on its own.

But then, as the crowd started to settle into its between-innings pitter-patter: Silence. Ohtani remained on the ground, face down, before rolling onto his back while holding his left arm. A replay of his feet-first slide revealed that Ohtani had tried to brace himself by planting his left hand in the dirt as he arrived at the base, and his arm had met the ground at an awkward — and apparently painful — angle. Manager Dave Roberts hustled out to second with a member of the training staff and Ohtani’s interpreter, Will Ireton. The superstar eventually rose to his feet and walked off the field, seemingly holding his left arm delicately in place as he descended into the dugout and down the tunnel.

On the Japanese broadcast, audio was picked up of Ohtani saying that his shoulder had popped out, and Fox’s Ken Rosenthal verified shortly thereafter that it was a shoulder injury of some kind, not something involving Ohtani’s wrist, as some surmised from his initial reaction. Because he had just hit and the Dodgers were heading to the eighth with a lead, Ohtani was unlikely to have another at-bat in the game, and because he was the designated hitter, he did not need to be officially removed from the game. As such, the remainder of the game was played with a shroud of uncertainty regarding the severity of Ohtani’s injury. The world would have to wait until after the final out for further information on the superstar’s status — ideally from the man himself.

But Ohtani never spoke. Within minutes of the final out, he swiftly departed Dodger Stadium, walking right past the lengthy line of media members waiting to enter the Dodgers clubhouse in search of answers. He had already showered and was in street clothes with no visible wraps or ice on his left shoulder when he strolled past, smiling with a few Dodgers staff and security and reaching the elevator without answering any questions about what had happened or how his arm was feeling.

Instead, it was on Roberts to provide some clarity during his postgame presser, and the update he shared was certainly on the optimistic side.

“He had a little left shoulder subluxation,” Roberts said. “So we’re going to get some tests at some point tonight [or] tomorrow, and then we’ll know more in the next couple days. But the strength was great. The range of motion [was] good.”

Roberts said Ohtani would get an MRI on the shoulder, most likely on Sunday.

Asked to expand on the moment, Roberts acknowledged the initial panic shared with the 52,725 in Dodger Stadium. Still, he maintained a positive outlook.

“The scene, very concerning,” he said. “Obviously, when you get any one of your players that goes down, it’s concerning. But after the range of motion, the strength test, I felt much better about it.”

Asked about the possibility of proceeding in this World Series without the superstar, Roberts didn’t hesitate.

“I’m expecting him to be there,” he said. “I’m expecting him to be in the lineup.”

Once the Dodgers clubhouse did open, with Ohtani having already vacated, a standard postgame session ensued, with media scrums descending on a select few lockers seeking reaction from players — first and foremost on the team’s massive Game 2 victory but also on how they felt watching Ohtani depart the game prematurely under concerning circumstances. Teammates responded to questions about Ohtani’s injury with variations of the same answer: They don’t have any more information than we do, but they recognize that it was a concerning moment and are hoping for the best, and they, too, will find out more soon.

“We’ll see how it is in the next couple days,” Freddie Freeman said between addressing another round of queries about his historic walk-off grand slam 24 hours earlier. “I really don’t have any info, but when you’ve got a group like this …. They picked me up when I’ve been down, and we’ll try and do the same [for Ohtani].”

“You know how big Shohei is for this team,” Hernández said. “Hopefully he’s OK, and the day off tomorrow will help him get back on the field Monday.”

An already-crowded room, jam-packed with cameras and microphones, featured even less space to stand than normal, as players’ oversized bags of gear were scattered across the floor in the process of being packed for an imminent cross-country flight to New York City. While the unknown of Ohtani’s injury loomed large, the confidence in the room hardly wavered as the team prepared to head east, with players exchanging words of enthusiastic affirmation as they changed into matching dark blue Dodgers tracksuits before heading to the bus to the airport.

The Dodgers had played brilliantly the previous two days, earning a 2-0 series lead with standout performances up and down the roster from stars and supporting cast members alike. While the exact status of their singular superstar is yet to be fully determined — more clarity might come Sunday evening when the Dodgers hold a workout at Yankee Stadium — there is certainly a lot for Los Angeles to feel good about.

The prospect of Ohtani — the sport’s biggest star, who has been waiting for years to get to this massive stage — missing World Series games is ominous, to say the least. For now, all we can do is trust Roberts’ optimistic tone and wait for another update of substance.