With the Los Angeles Dodgers already having clinched a spot in the 2026 MLB postseason, they had the luxury of giving Shohei Ohtani the rest he needs so he can recover from the wear and tear he's accumulated this season. To that end, the Dodgers placed Ohtani on the 15-day injured list, with his most recent game coming on September 7 against the Cincinnati Reds, where he went 0-4 to continue what was an ongoing slump from the plate.

But it looks as though Ohtani is now healthy, as the Dodgers will be activating him from the injured list ahead of their Wednesday night clash against the San Diego Padres, according to Katie Woo of The Athletic. Roberts confirmed this development after the game, as per Woo.

The Dodgers can lock up their bye in the 2026 NLDS with a win over the Padres on Wednesday, and having Ohtani back should help in that goal of theirs. However, the Padres have a lefty scheduled to start for them on Wednesday in Robbie Ray, so it's not quite clear what Ohtani's role will be once he steps back into the starting lineup.

According to Woo, the Dodgers are exploring the possibility of having Mookie Betts lead off for them against Ray on Wednesday, and this at least reduces the burden on Ohtani in his first game back from injury.

Article Continues Below

Ohtani wasn't looking like his typical elite self in the weeks prior to landing on the injured list. Over his past 31 days of play (from August 7 to September 7), Ohtani had an OPS of .689 to go along with four home runs and 10 runs batted in. In the past two weeks leading up to his IL stint, his OPS was at an even worse .484, and the Dodgers clearly had to take action.

It looked as though Ohtani's hitting mechanics were all out of whack as he compensated for a knock or two, and his performances suffered as a result.

The Dodgers bringing him back on Wednesday is key to getting Ohtani up to game speed with the postseason looming.