Add The New York Post on Google On the night he was scratched from his final start as a pitcher before the All-Star break, Shohei Ohtani shared a potentially troubling detail about his irritated left knee.
“It’s more in the kneecap,” Ohtani said in Japanese of the discomfort he’s experienced in recent weeks.
That’s the same kneecap on which Ohtani had surgery seven years ago.
Asked if his current problems had anything to do with that procedure, Ohtani couldn’t rule out the possibility.
Before the operation in question, Ohtani’s kneecap consisted of two separate bones rather than a single fused one, the result of a congenital condition called bipartite patella.
Playing for Angels at the time, Ohtani underwent season-ending surgery to address the issue in September of 2019.
Ohtani spent that winter rehabilitating. The effects of that were noticeable in the pandemic-shortened season that followed, as Ohtani batted a career-low .190. His anticipated return from his first Tommy John operation ended in failure, as he made only two starts that lasted a combined 1 ⅔ innings.
Right now, Ohtani said his knee doesn’t bother him when he’s in the batter’s box, which explains how he was able to homer in the first inning of the Dodgers’ 9-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night.
“Pitching,” Ohtani said, “puts more of a strain on it.”
Ohtani is planning to be the designated hitter in the Dodgers’ two remaining games before the All-Star break. Ohtani will skip the All-Star Game to receive treatment on his knee. He said he will drain his knee after the Dodgers’ series finale against the Diamondbacks on Sunday. He is also expected to receive a pain-relieving injection.
He said he could have pitched through his discomfort if necessary but decided to take advantage of the Dodgers’ place in the standings. The Dodgers have the best record in baseball, and even after their loss to the second-place Diamondbacks on Friday night, they still had a 13 ½-game lead in the National League West.
Ohtani described his knee problem as recurring, saying swelling would come and go, only to come back again.
“The degree to which I could straighten or bend my knee is limited,” he said.
Because his knee flared up during or after his starts as a pitcher, he speculated that his delivery was to blame. As a right-handed pitcher, Ohtani lands on his left leg.
Manager Dave Roberts said that Ohtani’s pitching schedule and workload should be unaffected by this latest development.
Ohtani threw a bullpen session two days before his scheduled start on Friday. The decision to skip that start was made in a Thursday morning phone call with team officials and medical personnel.
“I was told that if I couldn’t pitch without any concern, it would be better to rest,” Ohtani said.
With Ohtani unable to start, the Dodgers resorted to a bullpen game on Friday in which they deployed seven relievers.
“The bullpen had to pay the consequences,” Ohtani said. “For that, I’m sorry.”
Ohtani also apologized to the fans who voted him into the All-Star Game. Ohtani received more votes than any player in baseball.
“I feel bad for the fans who voted for me,” he said. “I think they voted for me because they wanted to see me play and I feel bad that I can’t. I regret that I have to drop out after being voted in.”
Ohtani said he held out hope of playing in the All-Star Game until the end. But uncertain of how his knee would feel or how much he needed a pain-relieving injection, he decided to play it safe and take a longer view.
“As a team, we have an eye on the postseason,” he said. “I wanted to be on the same page.”
