Dodgers place Ohtani on 15-day injured list, September 10

The Dodgers placed Shohei Ohtani on the 15-day injured list to address left knee soreness and a right biceps injury, removing the superstar from the lineup during the regular-season stretch run. Manager Dave Roberts announced the move on Wednesday after Ohtani was held out of a 14-1 win over Cincinnati.

According to MLB.com, Ohtani had been left out of the starting lineup six times in the previous seven games. On Monday, he went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts; on Tuesday, he reported that his right biceps still did not feel right because of a swing he took in the Monday game.

Roberts told MLB.com: "If it were a postseason game tomorrow, he would be in the lineup. So I think that now you're talking about two weeks, 14 days, I feel that that's substantial, and he'll be in a much better place than he was today." He added, per MLB.com: "I think he realizes it's the best thing for him, to give him the best chance to be the player he wants to be, we want him to be, in October."

Roberts indicated uncertainty about near-term improvement. According to MLB.com, he said: "It was more just really huddling up and saying, 'Hey, how are you going to feel on Friday? How are you going to feel on Saturday?' Talking to the doctors and training staff, there was not much certainty that he'd be in a much better place. With that, just taking it off the table seemed like the best course of action."

Ohtani has not pitched since July 3 and will be shut down from pitching for the year, per MLB.com. Since he began a throwing program on August 8, he is hitting .198 (19-for-96) with a .689 OPS and 34 strikeouts, according to MLB.com. Overall this season, Ohtani carries a .902 OPS with 30 home runs. General Manager Brandon Gomes suggested last week, per MLB.com, that while there was no definitive causation between Ohtani's injuries and his performance, the deterioration of both seemed to coincide with his buildup as a pitcher.

The Dodgers have won seven games in a row and hold a four-game lead over Atlanta for the No. 2 seed in the National League, per MLB.com. Ohtani will not travel to Miami and Cincinnati on the upcoming road trip; he will remain in Los Angeles for conditioning but likely be shut down from swinging for a few days, according to MLB.com.

The IL placement, which can be backdated to September 9, makes Ohtani eligible to return on September 23, per MLB.com. That leaves five regular-season games for him to ramp back up before the postseason. According to Ohtani's statement to MLB.com: "Of course the best mode of recovery is to completely not play. But right now, I just want to make sure that I'm playing, playing well and just focusing on the now."