The Los Angeles Dodgers have confirmed that Shohei Ohtani will be ready to play as the World Series shifts to New York on Monday. Ohtani partially dislocated his left shoulder while sliding into second base during the Dodgers' victory over the New York Yankees on Saturday night, putting them ahead 2-0 in the series. There were concerns that his season might be over, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told ESPN on Sunday that Ohtani will be available for Game 3 at Yankee Stadium.
“He’s in a great spot. He’s playing tomorrow,” Roberts stated to ESPN’s Karl Ravech.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts provided an update after the game, revealing that Ohtani suffered a left shoulder subluxation.
“The strength was great. The range of motion, good. So, we’re encouraged. But obviously, I can’t speculate because we don’t get the scans yet. So, once we get the scans, we’ll know more. Again, with the strength and range of motion looking good, that’s certainly a positive," Roberts told media
Roberts expressed concern when Ohtani was on the field, stating, “Obviously, when you get any one of your players that goes down, it’s concerning. But after kind of the range of motion and the strength test, I felt much better about it.”
Ohtani's splendid season
Ohtani had an outstanding regular season, becoming the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season. However, his postseason performance has been solid but not up to his usual standards, with a .863 OPS, which is below his regular season average of .945. He has recorded just 1 hit in 8 at-bats during the first two games of the World Series. Remarkably, Ohtani was one of the few Dodgers who managed to avoid significant injuries throughout the season, while the pitching staff has faced numerous injury challenges, with nearly all members of the starting rotation spending time on the injured list.
The Dodgers are now just two wins away from clinching the best-of-seven series, which would secure their second championship in five years.
World Series schedule and results
Game 1: Dodgers 6-3 Yankees
Game 2: Dodgers 4-2 Yankees
Game 3 (in New York): Monday, 28 October
Game 4 (in New York): Tuesday, 29 October
Game 5* (in New York): Wednesday, 30 October
Game 6* (in LA): Friday, 1 November
Game 7* (in LA): Saturday, 2 November
*if required. Matches start 20:08 Eastern Time (early next morning UK time).