Ohtani in lineup, leads off Game 3 for Dodgers

NEW YORK — Shohei Ohtani‘s availability wasn’t all that uncertain in the first place. Not to his teammates, at least. The Los Angeles Dodgers flew to New York late Saturday night without Ohtani, who stayed in L.A. to get an MRI on his injured left shoulder. But he texted the group chat consisting solely of Dodgers players as his teammates rode an airport-bound shuttle, assuring them he felt fine and would be in the lineup for Game 3 of the World Series.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts wasn’t privy to that.

“It would have been helpful if I saw that thread,” said Roberts, who had Ohtani back in his customary leadoff spot for Monday’s game from Yankee Stadium. “I would have slept better Saturday night.”

Ohtani led off Game 3 at 8:17 p.m. ET facing off against Clarke Schmidt.

Ohtani put a scare into the Dodgers when he injured his left shoulder in an attempted steal of second base in the seventh inning of Game 2, a 4-2 win over the New York Yankees. But Roberts’ nerves were calmed, at least slightly, when Ohtani’s shoulder — popped back into place by the Dodgers’ training staff — responded favorably to strength and range-of-motion tests. An MRI the following morning revealed only a slight dislocation, referred to as a subluxation, and no structural damage.

Ohtani then flew on his own and met the team at Yankee Stadium late Sunday afternoon, receiving more treatment and going through his hitting routine in the batting cage. He hit one ball off the batting tee that traveled 102 mph, a clear sign that he would be in the lineup 24 hours later. Ohtani won’t be stealing bases for the foreseeable future, Roberts said, but his shoulder isn’t expected to limit his traditionally violent swing.

“Obviously, there’s some discomfort,” Roberts said. “I would say it’s more discomfort, and that’s kind of what I alluded to. It’s a subluxation. It’s per an individual’s tolerance. Some swings were fine, some swings were a little uncomfortable. But I think for me it was more of — we didn’t feel he was going to be compromised and he was going to play.”

The Dodgers have experience with this type of scare. In Game 7 of the 2020 National League Championship Series, Cody Bellinger injured his right shoulder while celebrating his game-winning home run with Enrique Hernandez. Bellinger played in the subsequent World Series but struggled mightily over the ensuing two seasons, at least in part because of the shoulder injury he suffered that night.

But Bellinger’s injury was more serious — he was believed to have suffered a full dislocation, necessitating offseason surgery — and impacted him more directly because it was his front shoulder when hitting. Ohtani, Robert explained, is helped by the fact that he’s ailing with his back shoulder, which is more connected to the body of a left-handed hitter and doesn’t impact the swing as much.

Ohtani has been able to go through about “80 percent” of his typical pregame routine, Roberts added, but has also undergone hours of treatment and will have his left shoulder slightly taped for stabilization.

Ohtani was “very adamant” about playing when he arrived at Yankee Stadium earlier Monday afternoon, but he is expected to have limitations.

“This is a big test for him because it’s certainly uncomfortable,” Roberts said. “Not that there was every any doubt that he was going to post. He’s a competitor. He wasn’t going to not be in there.”