Shohei Ohtani injury update could be final nail in NL MVP race

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani's chances of shrinking the gap in the NL MVP race took a hit on Saturday.

Per ESPN's Aidan Gonzalez, the four-time MVP's return to the mound is in doubt following a concerning bullpen session and comments by manager Dave Roberts. Ohtani, who has been dealing with knee and biceps injuries, "lasted only 20 pitches, 10 to 15 throws shorter than his typical between-starts session," Gonzalez noted.

"I don't think he's 100 percent," Roberts told reporters Saturday morning.

While conceding that "there's a lot of pitchers that are not 100 percent and still viable," Roberts shared the predicament the team's in with Ohtani. "The hard part right now is trying to figure out, if he's not 100 percent overall body, is it worth giving him a minute to build up or not?"

Shohei Ohtani's pitching return in doubt after concerning Dave Roberts comments

Roberts didn't rule out Ohtani making a brief outing yet made clear keeping him in the lineup is the team's top priority.

"His value offensively is hugely important, so we can't compromise that in any fashion," Roberts said.

Entering Saturday, Chicago Cubs centerfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (-190) is the favorite to be named NL MVP with Ohtani (+155) in second. If the result holds, it would snap Ohtani's streak of three consecutive MVP awards, including the past two in the NL. He also won his second AL MVP award in 2023. 

This season, the six-time All-Star is slashing .283/.384/.537 with 30 home runs and 80 runs batted in while appearing in 125 games. He also has 14 pitching starts, going 8-2 with a 1.79 earned run average in 85.2 innings.

As incredible as he's been, the limited mound availability provided an opening in the MVP race, and Crow-Armstrong pounced. He leads the majors in batting WAR (7.9) while producing a .277/.374/.548 slash line and hitting 33 home runs with 83 runs batted in and 32 stolen bases. The four-year pro is also the league's best fielding centerfielder, according to Baseball Savant, leading the majors in fielding run value.

With Ohtani and Crow-Armstrong producing similar offensive numbers and the Cubs outfielder providing outstanding defense daily, Ohtani needs an extended return as a pitcher to shrink the gap between the two.

Roberts raised doubts over that happening with Saturday's comments. While winning a fourth consecutive MVP would be nice, a World Series three-peat would be nicer.