LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani was out of the Los Angeles Dodgers' lineup on Tuesday night, a day after he went 0 for 3 on his return from a four-day break because of nagging injuries.
Ohtani struck out twice and had a walk as the designated hitter in a 6-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night.
Manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani came out of the game well, but after talking to the training staff the decision was made to build him up slowly. The two-way superstar has been dealing with lingering soreness in his left knee and right biceps. He won't pitch again this season and instead focus on hitting.
“It’s about, ‘What can we do to get him to be optimum as we get into the postseason?’” Roberts said before the game. "So I think that a day here or there is not the worst thing to make sure that his body overall feels as close to 100% as possible.”
Ohtani flew out to left field in his first at-bat Monday as he works to regain his swing.
“A week ago, he wasn't close to catching up to that (pitch),” Roberts said, “So I think that's a good thing. At the end of the day, it's just him saying, 'I feel considerably better than I did.’ For us, it’s not about just tonight.”
Ohtani will be available to pinch hit against the Reds and Roberts expects him to return to the lineup on Wednesday. The team is off on Thursday before starting a seven-game road trip Friday at Miami.
Roberts envisions giving Ohtani some days off over the remaining weeks of the regular season.
He said the situation has taught him to potentially get ahead of managing Ohtani's workload at the plate and on the mound.
"It's good for all of us to kind of appreciate that he’s not supernatural, as much as we think he might be at times,” Roberts said.
At the same time, the team relies on players, including Ohtani, to be honest about their health in a timely manner.
“I have learned that with players, as they get older, more mature, they’re more open to things like that,” Roberts said. "But you still have guys like Freddie Freeman who think that they want to play 162 (games). But yeah, I think he would be more open to just admissions and stuff.”
Tommy Edman started in center field and led off in Ohtani's place, while Freeman was the designated hitter as the NL West-leading Dodgers pursued a fifth consecutive win.
Ohtani is nearing the end of his third season with the Dodgers, and the first in which he was a full-time two-way player for much of it.
“I still think we see him as a two-way guy,” Roberts said about next year, “but that’s not on any of our radars right now.”
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Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani watches from the dugout during the first inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani, right, walks back to the dugout after striking out as Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson throws the ball back during the third inning of a baseball game Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge struck out twice and flied out as he returned to the New York Yankees on Tuesday night after a 99-day absence — a gap that matched his uniform number.
Recovered from a broken rib, Judge started in right field and batted third in a series opener against the Colorado Rockies that drew a sellout crowd of 46,211.
Judge swung under a four-seam fastball from right-hander Gabriel Hughes in the first inning and flied out to deep right-center in the fourth, then took a called third strike on a full-count pitch from rookie left-hander Mark Manfredi in the sixth.
All three at-bats started with 2-0 counts and ended on fastballs. Judge was replaced as planned by Heliot Ramos at the start of the seventh.
When he took the field in the top of the first, Judge smiled broadly and repeatedly tapped the interlocking “NY” on his jersey.
“He won’t play the whole game today, even though he wants to,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday afternoon. “He'll probably have one of the days this series off.”
A three-time AL MVP, Judge had missed 84 games since his last appearance on May 31. The 34-year-old captain tried to persuade Boone to activate him after center fielder Trent Grisham strained a hamstring on Friday night.
“He actually appeared in my door in San Diego after Grish got hurt: ‘Ready to go tomorrow,’" Boone recalled. “Didn’t want to do that because there were some final boxes we definitely wanted him to check.”
Judge took batting practice at Yankee Stadium on Monday's off day and was activated from the 60-day injured list that night. Boone had spoken separately with Judge, and strength and conditioning coach Brett McCabe, followed by the athletic training staff, general manager Brian Cashman and owner Hal Steinbrenner.
“Hal just wanted to know where everyone was with it, where we stood,” Boone said.
Judge, who didn't speak with reporters before the game, sprayed several homers to right, center and left during batting practice Tuesday. He is hitting .244 with 17 homers, 38 RBIs and an .895 OPS this season.
Judge initially was injured attempting to avoid second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. during an unsuccessful try for a diving catch at Houston on April 26 and batted .263 with seven homers and 20 RBIs in 31 games before going on the injured list. He had just one homer in 18 games before the IL stint.
New York had been 36-23 after Judge last played on May 31 and went 45-39 in his absence. The Yankees hit .243 with 86 homers, a .770 OPS and an average of 5.17 runs in 59 games through May 31 but .227 with 107 homers, a .681 OPS and an average of 4.06 runs while Judge was sidelined. Their batting average during that stretch ranked 29th among the 30 major league teams, ahead of Seattle at .225.
“We hung in there,” Boone said. “We’ve had stretches where it’s been a real struggle for us offensively.”
Opposing pitchers were a little more aggressive against other Yankees batters during Judge's absence, according to MLB Statcast. Ben Rice received 48.3% strikes, up from 46.7%, and Cody Bellinger 49.7%, an increase from 47.3%.
“There is an effect around him netting better opportunities and better at-bats for everyone,” Boone said. “We’re very left-handed and have been much of the year. So how many days a week are we getting a lefty in the fifth inning, in the seventh inning and the ninth inning and they’re matching up against us and they don’t have to roll through Aaron Judge that’s surrounding those lefties?”
New York entered 81-62, four games behind AL East-leading Tampa Bay and two games in front of Boston (80-65) for the top AL wild card. The Yankees hold a potential tiebreaker over the Red Sox after winning the season series.
Judge hit a career-high .331 with 53 homers and 114 RBIs in 152 games last year, winning his third MVP award and first batting title.
Relief pitcher Fernando Cruz, sidelined since Aug. 25 by a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, decided against Tommy John surgery after being examined by Texas Rangers physician Dr. Keith Meister and hopes to pitch again this season.
Cruz had a cortisone shot and plans to resume throwing this week.
“If it breaks, it breaks," he said. “If you hear a pop or you hear something, it’s time to go to an operation.”
Left-hander Ryan Weathers threw on flat ground up to 75 feet as he tries to return from a left forearm flexor strain that has kept him out of games since Aug. 22.
Weathers intends to throw again Wednesday and Thursday, take Friday off and perhaps pitch off a mound after that. He hopes to have a bullpen role in the postseason.
See AP’s full MLB coverage here
New York Yankees' right fielder Aaron Judge (99) tosses a ball to a fan during the first inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)
New York Yankees' Aaron Judge reacts after striking out during the first inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies', Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)
Aaron Judge practices batting before a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)
Aaron Judge steps on the field for batting practice before a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)
Aaron Judge steps on the field for batting practice before a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)
Aaron Judge practices batting before a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)
Aaron Judge practices batting before a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)
