LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers remain uncertain whether designated hitter Shohei Ohtani will pitch again this season.
The two-way superstar hasn't pitched in a game since July 3 because of lingering pain in his left knee and right biceps. Ohtani threw a 20-pitch bullpen session last Friday but was scratched from a potential start at Detroit two days later.
“I think physically he’s in a good spot,” manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday. “I haven’t heard otherwise as far as him ailing, whether it’s the arm, the knee. Everything that he’s told me and the training staff, he feels good."
Roberts said that until he sees Ohtani throw another bullpen he won't know the next step in his pitching progression.
Asked if it's possible Ohtani won't pitch again this season, Roberts said, “It's an option.”
Before being shut down, Ohtani was 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA in 14 starts.
If Ohtani can't start on the mound, would he be a candidate to play at an outfield corner?
“Not on the table right now,” Roberts said.
Ohtani hasn't played the outfield in the major leagues since 2021, when he appeared there in seven games for the Los Angeles Angels.
If Ohtani isn't physically capable of starting a game, it's possible he could enter as a reliever.
If he starts as the designated hitter and then moves to the mound, the so-called Ohtani Rule would kick in and the Dodgers would lose their DH for the rest of the game. But if he moves from the mound to the outfield, he could remain in the lineup.
“I certainly know the value of him pitching, but if you’re not 100%, there’s possibly some bleed-in to the performance offensively,” Roberts said. “Any inning that he gives us is added value. The cost is, does it affect his health? So there’s really no timeline, definitive deadline to say, ‘Hey, this is where we’re going to stop.’”
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Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani takes a lead off first during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani comes around to score on a double by Dodgers' Will Smith, not pictured, during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani looks on from the dugout during the first inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Two people were killed and the suspect is dead after a shooting in a downtown Minneapolis apartment building Wednesday afternoon, according to police.
Three Minneapolis police officers were also injured, including two of them from gunshot wounds, police Sgt. Garrett Parten said at a press conference on Wednesday evening. All three officers are in stable condition, according to Hennepin County Medical Center.
A 911 call about shots fired at the building came in just after 4:30 p.m. and within three minutes officers entered the high-rise and found victims, Parten said.
They then heard more gunshots and followed them to a higher floor, where they found “a haze that significantly limited their visibility,” he said. Parten did not provide additional details about the haze.
One officer was shot in the leg and taken to the hospital, along with the two other injured officers, he said. One of the officers was in surgery, he said.
“This is a tremendously tragic event and our thoughts and prayers are with the families, the loved ones of those who lost their lives, those who were injured and with the injured officers and their families,” Parten said.
One of the victims was fatally shot at the scene, and one died after arriving at the hospital, he said.
Parten said it was not immediately clear how the shooter died.
Hennepin County Medical Center said it received seven patients but didn’t share additional information about the conditions of those wounded.
Julius Bailey was sitting outside of his apartment building when he heard gun shots and saw a man he recognized as a resident of the building holding a pistol. Bailey said he heard a woman screaming and immediately started running away. He said he counted eight shots.
Bailey said that he recognized the man holding the gun because he was someone who was known for showing off his weapon. Bailey said he has tried to avoid the man since moving into the building in June.
“I could tell he was trouble,” he said.
Chris Miller, who also lives in the apartment building, said he heard a rapid succession of gunshots and quickly ran outside for safety. He said he believed he knew who carried out the shooting and that he encountered someone in the hallway with a handgun earlier this week and reported that person to management.
Video posted to social media showed police aiming rifles upward at an apartment tower near the Minneapolis Convention Center. Officials warned residents to avoid the densely populated Loring Park neighborhood nearby.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said in a post on social media that state officials are on the ground helping local law enforcement respond to the shooting.
“Grateful to law enforcement actively working to ensure the safety of our neighbors in Downtown Minneapolis this afternoon,” Walz said. “Minnesota is praying for our first responders.”
The FBI is responding to the shooting and “will offer any and all resources necessary to assist local authorities,” Director Kash Patel said in a post on the social platform X.
Golden reported from Seattle and Riddle from Los Angeles. Associated Press journalist Josh Kelety contributed from Phoenix.
Law enforcement respond to a shooting Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in downtown Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)
Police respond to a shooting Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in downtown Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)
Law enforcement respond to a shooting Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in downtown Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)
Law enforcement respond to a shooting Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in downtown Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)
Law enforcement respond to a shooting Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in downtown Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)
Police respond to a shooting Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in downtown Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)
