Dodgers’ Dave Roberts leaving the door open for Shohei Ohtani return vs. Nationals

The Los Angeles Dodgers will be facing the Washington Nationals in the final game of their series, and they haven’t been with Shohei Ohtani in any of the contests. Manager Dave Roberts was asked about Ohtani’s status heading into the final game, and he says he’s leaving the door open for a return, according to SportsNetLA.

“He’s (Ohtani) gonna hit today in the cage. Once he hits, and how he comes out of it will be telling for tomorrow. Obviously leaving his availability open for today. Tomorrow is more of a conversation if I hear he comes out of it fine,” Roberts said.

"He's (Ohtani) gonna hit today in the cage. Once he hits, and how he comes out of it will be telling for tomorrow. Obviously leaving his availability open for today. Tomorrow is more of a conversation if I hear he comes out of it fine."

Dave Roberts addresses the media ahead of… pic.twitter.com/y04tottlzR

— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) September 6, 2026

Ohtani has been dealing with some nagging injuries throughout the course of the season, with a knee issue being the reason why he hasn’t pitched since early July. He’s more recently suffered a biceps injury, and it seems like it’s been affecting his game. He went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts earlier in the week, and that was the last game he played.

Since then, there have been thoughts on whether they should put Ohtani on the injured list.

“If three days [go by] and we’re back in the same spot two days later, then it wasn’t the right decision,” Roberts said via MLB.com. “There are scenarios where we don’t make the move, and he’s still active, so I don’t know what that looks like. But there’s not just two ways to do this.”

This may be the last chance to see if Ohtani doesn’t need to go on the IL, and he’ll have to suit up against the Nationals if he wants a good chance of avoiding the list.

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