Shohei Ohtani exits game with a concerning injury

An old issue is rearing its ugly head again for Shohei Ohtani.

The Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani was forced to exit Thursday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates due to an injury. During the seventh inning at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Ohtani was pinch hit for by Dodgers teammate Santiago Espinal (after going 2-for-2 with a home runs and two walks up to that point).

The Dodgers later shared a concerning update on Ohtani. They said that the two-way sensation was removed due to left knee inflammation.

That set off plenty of alarm bells for those who are familiar with Ohtani’s history. Ever since childhood, Ohtani has dealt with a bipartite patella in his left knee — a congenital condition where the kneecap fails to fuse into a single bone and is instead comprised of two separate ones. Ohtani has managed flare-ups of the knee throughout his career, the most concerning of which was an issue back in 2019 with the Los Angeles Angels that needed season-ending surgery.

Dodgers writer Nelson Espinal shared the full context on Ohtani’s condition.