Although Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts downplayed the severity of the left knee inflammation that caused Shohei Ohtani to be removed from Thursday’s game, the Dodgers star is missing from the lineup for Friday’s series opener at the Chicago White Sox.

Ohtani, who homered and reached four times in four plate appearances in Thursday’s 8-6 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, was removed in the seventh inning after he experienced pain in his left knee/hamstring area on a stolen base attempt that was negated by a foul ball.

After the game, Roberts said the removal was precautionary and that his level of concern was “not high.”

“We tried to be smart about it and get him out of the game,” Roberts said after the game. “He told the trainer that he felt a little something behind his knee, and I just didn’t see any sense in risking it.”

Roberts also said Thursday that he felt good about the likelihood of Ohtani being in the lineup on Friday. But the Dodgers penciled in Santiago Espinal as their designated hitter for the Chicago opener.

Ohtani, 31, is hitting .305 with 13 homers and 40 RBIs this season, with a 6-2 record and a 1.06 ERA in 11 starts on the mound.

The four-time MVP (including each of the last three seasons) has a career .283 batting average with 293 homers and 709 RBIs across 1,081 games with the Los Angeles Angels (2018-23) and Dodgers (2024-26).

–Field Level Media