Ohtani's sore shoulder keeps him from DH role as he pitches for Dodgers

Key Points:

• Shohei Ohtani struck out 10 batters and allowed one run over six innings as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Mets 8-2, while being held out of the lineup as designated hitter due to soreness from a recent hit by pitch.
• This was Ohtani’s first game pitching without hitting since May 28, 2021, and he recorded a career-high 22 swing and misses with the Dodgers, striking out the side in the sixth inning on 14 pitches.
• Dodgers manager Dave Roberts emphasized that the decision to rest Ohtani from hitting was to protect his health and optimize performance, noting Ohtani has felt progressively better since the injury and is expected to resume hitting in his next start.
• Ohtani’s on-base streak extended to 48 games after an intentional walk on Tuesday, marking the fourth-longest streak in Dodgers history and the longest ever by a Japanese-born player, surpassing Ichiro Suzuki.
• Dalton Rushing replaced Ohtani as designated hitter and hit a grand slam in the eighth inning, while Ohtani expressed openness to being a one-way player occasionally to manage workload.