Shohei Ohtani (knee) returns to Dodgers’ lineup

LOS ANGELES — After Shohei Ohtani was held out of Thursday’s series finale against the Mariners while dealing with injuries that have been keeping him off the mound, the two-way star returned to the leadoff spot as the Dodgers’ designated hitter for Friday’s series opener against the Red Sox.

Ohtani reported renewed soreness in his left knee while undergoing treatment, leading the Dodgers’ training staff to recommend he get Thursday off.

“I appreciate him saying that there’s some soreness to then allow me to make a decision for what is in his best interest,” said manager Dave Roberts, “and that’s what we’re doing.”

Ohtani has been dealing with left knee inflammation since June 11, and he hasn’t pitched in a game since July 3. During that time, he has continued to serve as the Dodgers’ everyday designated hitter, although he did not participate in the All-Star Game in Philadelphia due to receiving treatment on the knee, including a lubricating Orthovisc shot. The club revealed on Tuesday that right biceps discomfort had also cropped up, further slowing his pitching progression.

In 14 starts, Ohtani has a 1.79 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP, with 95 strikeouts in 85 2/3 innings pitched. While the Dodgers remain optimistic they’ll have Ohtani available to pitch in the games that matter most this year down the stretch and into the postseason, there’s not a ton of certainty about what his timeline will look like for the regular season’s final two months.

“He has been doing the plyos consistently,” said Roberts. “Hopefully this weekend at some point or early next week, he’ll start throwing, playing catch again and building up.”

Right now, the Dodgers don’t have any plans to shut Ohtani down from playing to give the injuries time to heal. That said, it remains an ongoing discussion as the situation evolves.

“We’re talking about this constantly,” said Roberts. “And nothing should be off the table, and nothing is set in stone. It’s more of how he feels. … With this new information, we’ve got to have different conversations.”

On the other side of the ball, all parties have emphasized that the ailments do not impact Ohtani’s ability to swing the bat — though Roberts suggested that Ohtani reaching base seven times over the past two games could be to blame for some additional wear on his knee.

At the very least, Ohtani has retained his signature power. Entering Friday, in 36 games since the knee injury first surfaced, Ohtani has slashed .263/.344/.526 with 10 homers and 25 RBIs. In 63 games before that, he’d slashed .305/.421/.543 with 13 homers and 40 RBIs.

Ohtani was available off the bench on Thursday, should a key pinch-hitting spot have arisen, and after that game, Roberts was already confident that he would return to the lineup on Friday. What comes after that is a little more up in the air.

“After [Thursday’s] day off, he could come back and feel refreshed and play the next, call it four or five, before the next off-day, or feel after three games that [he’s] a little sore again and need a blow,” said Roberts.