World Series: Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani expected to play in Game 3 after shoulder injury

Shohei Ohtani should be good to go for Game 3 of the World Series.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters on Sunday that Ohtani, who sustained a shoulder injury on Saturday in the team’s Game 2 win over the New York Yankees, is “in a great spot” and should be available to play Monday in the Bronx.

Roberts said he didn’t have specific tests results available to him, but he was going off of what his training staff was telling him and Ohtani “feeling good” on Sunday morning.

A final determination on Ohtani’s status will be made on Monday.

The Dodgers superstar went down with an injury to his left shoulder in Game 2 of the World Series on Saturday, leaving a previously jubilant Dodger Stadium stunned as he left the field with an athletic trainer.

Ohtani was thrown out attempting to steal second base to end the bottom of the seventh inning and stayed on the ground in pain. He was holding his left arm, which took the brunt of his weight as he slid into second. Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal later reported that it was a shoulder injury.

The Fox Sports mics picked up Ohtani’s conversation after the injury, with one Japanese-speaking account reporting that the slugger said his left shoulder popped out of its socket.

Ohtani left Dodger Stadium almost immediately after the game ended, though Roberts told reporters after the game that initial tests on Ohtani’s injury were positive, despite the scary scene. Roberts said then that Ohtani had a “little” subluxation but did not elaborate on the extent of the injury.

The Dodgers were up 4-1 at the time of the injury and held on to win 4-2 and take a 2-0 lead in the series. With the positive news on Ohtani, the baseball world can breathe a sigh of relief ahead of the remainder of the series: The 2024 World Series was set up as Ohtani’s first appearance on baseball’s biggest stage, with the ratings to match. The series resumes with Game 3 on Monday in New York.

Stealing bases had been the story of Ohtani’s season, as he went from a fast but inefficient baserunner to one of the best in baseball in his first season with the Dodgers. He made MLB history with the first 50-50 season, finishing the year with 59 steals on 63 attempts, but the postseason has been another story for that skill.

The play on which he was injured was only his second attempt of the playoffs, with no successes.