Dodgers Make Unexpected Change to Shohei Ohtani's Pitching Plans

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Dodgers Make Unexpected Change to Shohei Ohtani's Pitching Plans

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Thomas Kelson | Last updated Jun 30, 2026 10:52 PM ET

The Los Angeles Dodgers made an unexpected change to their pitching plans involving Shohei Ohtani ahead of today's game against the Athletics.

The Dodgers announced Ohtani will not make his scheduled start tomorrow in Sacramento against the Athletics. Instead, he will be pushed back a couple of days and is now expected to start Friday against the San Diego Padres.

Jack Harris of the California Post noted there are several reasons behind the decision. The first is Ohtani is still dealing with the knee injury he suffered during a June 11 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. While it only forced him to miss one game, he's still not 100%. Giving him a couple of extra days to recover is the logical move.

The bigger reason for the change is likely the Dodgers' current stretch of 13 consecutive games. Ohtani, of course, does not pitch every fifth day like a traditional starter. He has made just one start this season on fewer than six days of rest. The Dodgers will take every precaution to keep their franchise superstar healthy for the long haul.

Shohei Ohtani will not start tomorrow against the A’s and will pitch Friday against the Padres.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 30, 2026

As for who will replace Ohtani tomorrow, the Dodgers will go with a bullpen game. In preparation, Los Angeles recalled right-handed reliever Wyatt Mills and designated Jonathan Hernandez for assignment.

Ohtani is putting together his best season yet on the mound. He owns a 1.58 ERA across 13 starts, covering 79.2 innings with 86 strikeouts. His ERA would rank second behind NL Cy Young favorite Jacob Misiorowski if he had enough innings to qualify. Ohtani is currently just six innings shy of the qualification threshold.

Before the season, Ohtani made it clear he wanted to win the Cy Young Award, a goal he first shared after coming to the United States in 2018. In most seasons, he would have an excellent chance to win it. This year, however, the race is as competitive as it has been in years. Along with Misiorowski, both Cristopher Sánchez and Chase Burns are putting together Cy Young-caliber seasons.

The only way Ohtani may have a realistic shot at winning the award is if he pitches nearly flawless baseball the rest of the way and finishes with an ERA well below everyone else. He would also need to reach the 162-inning threshold to qualify. It's certainly a difficult task, but then again, nobody defies expectations quite like Ohtani. If anyone can pull it off, it's him.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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