Wednesday, September 9, 2026 — the Dodgers finally stop managing it day to day, and make an unprecedented call-up in the process.
Four days ago, the question was whether the Dodgers would put Shohei Ohtani on the injured list. On Wednesday, Dave Roberts answered it. Ohtani is headed to the 15-day IL with right arm discomfort, after weeks of trying to play through soreness in his right biceps and left knee.
Roberts said that after talking with Ohtani, the doctors and the training staff, it was simply the right thing to do. He also admitted he regrets not making the move a week earlier.
What Changed
Ohtani returned as the designated hitter on Monday after missing four games. It didn’t last. He felt something in his arm after that game, told the training staff following Tuesday’s contest, and was out of the lineup again Wednesday — his sixth absence in seven games. Roberts said a Monday swing didn’t feel right and Ohtani never fully recovered from it.
Ohtani will stay in Los Angeles during the Dodgers’ seven-game East Coast trip, rest his arm for two or three days, then resume hitting. The target is September 22, when the Dodgers host San Diego. Roberts said he’s pretty confident Ohtani will be ready on day 15, which would give him six games and some live batting practice before the postseason begins.
If the playoffs started tomorrow, Roberts added, Ohtani would be in the lineup.
The Pitching Question Is Settled
Ohtani hasn’t pitched since July 3. After returning Monday, he signaled he was unlikely to pitch again this season, and this IL stint effectively closes that door. His 2026 pitching line will stand at 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA in 14 games.
As a hitter, he’s batting .277 with 30 home runs and 80 RBIs. The goal now is singular: get that bat healthy for October.
The Unusual Call-Up
The roster move behind the IL placement is the more surprising part. The Dodgers are promoting Josue De Paula, their 21-year-old top prospect, directly from Double-A Tulsa. He’s expected to debut Friday in Miami as the designated hitter.
That is a genuine departure for this front office. The Dodgers have not called up a position player straight from Double-A since Andrew Friedman took over baseball operations in 2015. An organization that has developed its hitters methodically through Triple-A for a decade is now skipping a level — in the middle of a pennant race.
It says two things. First, the Dodgers believe De Paula’s bat is ready for big league pitching. Second, they needed a left-handed DH option and preferred an upside play over a depth veteran for the next two weeks. De Paula gets an audition in September, and Los Angeles gets an early look at a player who may factor into its 2027 plans.
Freeman Too
The timing is complicated by Freddie Freeman, who sat Wednesday with right knee soreness after going 0-for-2 as the designated hitter in Tuesday’s win. With two of their biggest bats banged up, the Dodgers’ lineup is thinner than at any point this season.
The Standings Cushion
The good news: the Dodgers can afford this. They crushed the Reds 14-1 on Wednesday to complete a sweep and extend their winning streak to seven, and they’re closing in on their 13th NL West title in 14 years. Two weeks ago, they had just been swept in Atlanta and lost a key tiebreaker. Since then, they’ve stabilized.
That cushion is exactly why the IL move makes sense now. The division is effectively secure, and the cost of missing two weeks in September is far smaller than the cost of an Ohtani who limps into October.
The Read
The Dodgers spent most of August insisting Ohtani could play through it. On Wednesday, they conceded he couldn’t. The result is a two-week reset for the game’s biggest star and a rare fast-track for its most interesting prospect — both in service of the only thing the Dodgers care about at this point: being whole in October.
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