Shohei Ohtani's injury could threaten MVP hopes more than Dodgers fans realize

Over the past half-decade, it's been practically inevitable that Shohei Ohtani would walk away with his league's MVP award in a given season. It took a literal historic output from Aaron Judge in 2022 to keep him from taking home five consecutive Most Valuable Player trophies, and Ohtani entered 2026 with an eye on joining Barry Bonds as the only players ever to win the award in four straight years.

That streak of dominance hardly requires analysis; he's one of the best pitchers and hitters in the game simultaneously, and when he's only healthy enough to focus on one aspect of the game, he goes out and does something literally unprecedented like his 50-50 campaign in 2025. When greatness is this common, it becomes almost impossible to appreciate.

But beyond just voter fatigue, Ohtani has another old enemy working against him right now: his body. A left knee injury kept him out of the All-Star Game and is preventing him from stepping up to the mound, with no end in sight after he ended his most recent bullpen session feeling discomfort. It's a real shame considering he's been the 10th-most valuable pitcher in baseball this year by fWAR (3.0) thanks to a sterling 1.79 ERA over 85.2 innings.

To make matters worse, Ohtani's injury may actually condemn him in the NL MVP race thanks to a rising superstar out in Chicago.

Shohei Ohtani's dreams for a fourth straight MVP are being crushed by Pete Crow-Armstrong

Pete Crow-Armstrong has completely galvanized the Chicago Cubs over the past few months, posting a 1.214 OPS and 224 wRC+ since the start of June. He's up to a .292/.389/.547 (154 wRC+) batting line on the season with 23 homers and 26 steals to boot, putting him well on pace to join the 30-30 club for the second straight season.

Of course, his prowess on the basepaths and at the plate only really tell half the story. PCA is hands down the best defender in the league regardless of position, handily leading baseball in Outs Above Average (+20) and Fielding Run Value (+21) in 2026. Combine all of his contributions and you come away with the current MLB leader in fWAR at 7.0.

For reference, Ohtani is second at 5.9 fWAR (2.9 from hitting, 3.0 from pitching). The next-most-valuable National League position player this year is Otto Lopez at 4.4 fWAR, which is less than two-thirds of Crow-Armstrong's total. He's completely blowing everyone else out of the water on this front, which is how Judge surpassed Ohtani in 2022.

Between the team's attempt at a three-peat and Ohtani trying to capture a fourth straight MVP, this season is about chasing history. But if those two dreams end up being pitted against each other due to the two-way star's injury, it's best to let PCA win the regular season glory. The Dodgers can get him and the Cubs back for it in October.

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