Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani out of the lineup against White Sox because of knee soreness

CHICAGO (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani is day to day with left knee inflammation.

Ohtani was out of the starting lineup for Friday night's series opener at the Chicago White Sox. But manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani could play this weekend and remains in line to make his next scheduled start on the mound on Wednesday.

Ohtani was lifted for a pinch hitter in the seventh inning of Thursday night’s 8-6 win at Pittsburgh.

“He’s doing fine today,” Roberts said before Friday's matchup with the White Sox. “I think that we got some pictures. There was no findings. It’s just the normal wear and tear. I thought initially it was a hamstring, it was the knee. So it just kind of got upset, swelled up a little bit.”

Ohtani, 31, is batting .305 with 13 homers and 40 RBIs in 67 games for the NL West leaders. On the mound, the reigning NL MVP is 6-2 with a 1.06 ERA in 11 starts.

Ohtani had surgery on his left knee in September 2019. Roberts said the swelling is in the back of the knee.

“That’s where a lot of the swelling with the knee kind of like builds,” Roberts said. “But again his range of motion today is good and so if it was another time in the season he’d be in there tonight.”

Ohtani did not speak with the media before the game.

Alex Call was in the leadoff spot for Los Angeles and Santiago Espinal stepped in as the designated hitter.

Roberts also said utilityman Tommy Edman is on track to be activated from the 60-day injured list on Tuesday. Edman, who is coming back from offseason ankle surgery, is on a minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Right-hander Tyler Glasnow, who is on the 60-day IL because of a back issue, could start playing catch soon.

“(Glasnow) feels great, so he’s going to start kind of ramping things up,” Roberts said.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani enters the field prior to a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Friday, June 12, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani enters the field prior to a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Friday, June 12, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani enters the field prior to a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Friday, June 12, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani enters the field prior to a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Friday, June 12, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — The U.S. is ready to face Paraguay on Friday night to open its first home World Cup in 32 years.

A jubilant Southern California crowd arrived early to cheer on an American team with high hopes heading into the final home opener for this tournament's three co-hosting nations. Led by midfielder Christian Pulisic and a core of his experienced contemporaries, the U.S. has reached No. 17 in FIFA's rankings with realistic ambitions of winning its group and then advancing from a knockout match for just the second time in its World Cup history.

The Americans’ first World Cup match under coach Mauricio Pochettino is at SoFi Stadium, the multibillion-dollar edifice opened in 2020 as the home of the NFL's Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers. The avant-garde arena normally has an artificial turf field that is not well-liked by American football players, but real grass has been installed for the world's summer soccer showcase.

Fans began to fill up the stadium and its surrounding campus several hours before kickoff. Amid thousands of supporters wearing U.S. shirts and chanting their players' names, many more fans wore elaborate costumes, dressing as everything from the Statue of Liberty to the Founding Fathers.

The U.S. last hosted the men's World Cup in 1994, when the Americans won just one of their four matches in a tournament won by Brazil. Soccer has steadily proliferated in popularity stateside since then, with youth participation booming while the domestic Major League Soccer, which began play in 1996, grew into a solid professional circuit.

The largest World Cup in tournament history kicked off Thursday with a 2-0 victory for co-host Mexico over South Africa. Co-host Canada rallied for a 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina in its opener earlier Friday in Toronto.

The Americans will play two of their three group-stage matches in Inglewood, with a trip to Seattle next week sandwiched in between.

AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup

United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino smiles during a press conference ahead of his FIFA World Cup match against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., Thursday, June 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

United States fans cheer prior to the World Cup Group D soccer match between the United States and Paraguay in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

A United States fan cheers prior to the World Cup Group D soccer match between the United States and Paraguay in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)