Another Shohei Ohtani injury turns up the pressure on Dodgers trade deadline

Of all the things Shohei Ohtani is capable of, a Cal Ripken-esque Iron Man run is never going to be one of them. While Ohtani the hitter has stayed mostly healthy since 2021, Ohtani the pitcher has undergone two major elbow surgeries and one shoulder surgery.

It makes sense, given the magnitude of his workload, but it makes the Los Angeles Dodgers' job of managing and planning around him a little harder.

Ohtani hasn't pitched since July 3, when he put up his sixth straight quality start against the San Diego Padres in a 4-3 win. Knee inflammation has sidelined him from the rotation, and the Dodgers, as they tend to do, have gone back and forth as to his timeline to getting back and forth.

On Tuesday, Ohtani acknowledged it wasn't just his knee. "My biceps (is) not 100 percent," Ohtani said. "Just similar issue with the knee. Do we consider pushing this? It is still July. So I think the conversation would be a little different if we're in August or September."

Dave Roberts shut down the idea that Ohtani might get a few days rest from hitting, too, and he made it clear he didn't need it with his 3-for-4, three RBI night against the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday. However, the uncertainty regarding his pitching timeline could force the Dodgers to look harder for rotation help at the deadline than they initially planned.

Shohei Ohtani's injury could force Dodgers to be more active at the MLB trade deadline

The Dodgers tend to be a mysterious-but-always-lurking force at the trade deadline. LA can do anything they want, but they usually opt not to because they simply don't need to. That seems to be the plan again this year — hang around the backboard, wait to see if an opportunity falls into their lap.

A postseason rotation made up of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and Justin Wrobleski (or Roki Sasaki, if he continues trending up) is nothing to sniff at. But the Dodgers are already industry-wide favorites to land Tarik Skubal, so why not lend themselves a little more reassurance? Glasnow has tentatively resumed throwing, but there are no promises he'll be October-ready.

With or without Ohtani in the rotation, there was still every chance the Dodgers would make a play at Skubal. If they're even the slightest bit scared he won't be ready for the postseason, their urgency may increase.

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