Dodgers Injury Update: Shohei Ohtani rotation, Edwin Díaz progress, Kiké Hernández rehab

The Los Angeles Dodgers officially sidelined Shohei Ohtani from their rotation ahead of his scheduled Wednesday start against the Philadelphia Phillies. After a number of injury updates on his knee, each more worrisome than the last, taking him off the mound was the only choice they had.

Ohtani threw a 31-pitch bullpen session while the Dodgers were in Philly. He reportedly used all of his pitches, and coaches were heartened by what they saw. They're not going to push it — the Dodgers are especially cautious with their injured pitchers, and losing Ohtani from the lineup could be disastrous — but they really only need him to be healthy for October.

Jack Harris of the California Post is optimistic about his timeline, even though the Dodgers have made zero promises. After the bullpen session, he wrote, "Ohtani’s progress to this point suggests his absence from the rotation might only last a few weeks, as opposed to a longer-term break that would force him to completely rebuild his stamina on the mound."

It might not behoove Dodgers fans to get our hopes up for that, but any indication that this knee issue isn't as serious as previously thought is a good sign.

Edwin Díaz is on the verge of returning after sixth rehab outing

Díaz, a little more than three months out from elbow surgery to remove loose bodies, has been on a rehab assignment since July 11. The Dodgers are taking it slow with him, but his move to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday suggests that he's right on the verge of a return.

The Dodgers initially assigned him to Single-A Ontario, where he threw a scoreless inning on July 11, then he threw a hitless inning with the ACL Dodgers before heading back to Single-A for two more appearances.

He's only pitched one cumulative inning in Triple-A and gave up a run on Wednesday, but his presence on the mound the very next day, even if it was just to get a single out, was a good sign for LA.

Kiké Hernández's four-game rehab hitting streak

Hernández is working his way back from his second IL stint this season and began his rehab assignment on July 17. He's appeared in four games since then and has a nice four-game hitting streak going, which includes a homer on Thursday.

The Dodgers are in no rush to get Hernández back, but it seems fair to assume that he could be back with the team when they get back to LA for a six-game homestand against the Seattle Mariners and then the Boston Red Sox starting next Tuesday.

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