Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani returned from the injured list ahead of Wednesday's game against the San Diego Padres. In a corresponding move, the Dodgers optioned top prospect Josue De Paula to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Ohtani, coming off of three consecutive MVP awards, struggled with injury in 2026, with his troubles first affecting his play in July.
The Dodgers shut him down from pitching due to a knee injury just before the All-Star break, and he also noted a biceps injury later that month. His biceps eventually led to a stint on the injured list after he missed six games out of seven to begin September. He spent the minimum amount of games on the injured list, and will bat second in Wednesday's game against the Padres.
While his numbers at the plate aren't where they have been over the past few seasons, he is still having an impressive season by anyone's standards. He has 30 homers on the year, tallying 80 RBIs while posting a .902 OPS through 130 games. He made 14 starts this year prior to his injury, and was on track to have a career-best pitching season.
He pitched 85.2 innings, striking out 95 batters, and posted a minuscule 1.79 ERA—the best of his career to date. With Ohtani back in the lineup, the Dodgers are in a great spot to lock up a bye in the Wild Card round and begin their push for a historic three-peat. While the Dodgers sent down De Paula extremely late in the season, his strong performances kept him in the conversation for the postseason roster.
The timing of the Dodgers' decision means De Paula will be eligible for a return exactly 10 days from now, which coincides with the Dodgers' opening game of the NLDS. He and Dalton Rushing will be in a battle for that spot, as the Dodgers expect him to return from the injured list before the end of the year. Who earns the spot largely depends on how Rushing bounces back from his injury during the final two series of the season.
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