Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani leaves game early with back tightness
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts pinch-hit for Ohtani in the ninth inning of Saturday's game. The issue is not considered serious but Ohtani probably won't be in the lineup Sunday.
SAN DIEGO — When the Dodgers headed onto the field for the handshake line after their 5-0 victory over the San Diego Padres Saturday night, Shohei Ohtani wasn’t there.
Ohtani came out of the game in the ninth inning after feeling lower back tightness during his fourth plate appearance of the game in the seventh inning. Kike’ Hernandez pinch-hit for him in the ninth.
“His back tightened up,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “So it’s one of those things that, I got word before his fourth at-bat that his back tightened up. So being (up) 5-0, we didn’t want to push it. We’ll see how he comes in tomorrow.”
Roberts said he would “probably” give Ohtani the day off on Sunday just as a precaution. Ohtani has started 40 of the Dodgers’ first 41 games. He was not in the lineup on May 1 in Arizona, given a two-day break with the Dodgers off on May 2.
“Probably more lean right now to just giving him the day tomorrow,” Roberts said. “It could change. But most likely, we’ll plan to give him the day.”
Ohtani was 0 for 3 before leaving Saturday’s game but did draw a walk and scored a run on Teoscar Hernandez’s sixth-inning grand slam. After getting that two-day break at the start of the month, Ohtani was 10 for his next 17 with four home runs in his next five games.
Roberts said he has “minimal” concern that Ohtani’s back issue might be serious.
“Just talking to the trainers — I haven’t talked to Shohei myself yet — but right now it’s minimal,” he said after the game Saturday. “It’s more precautionary for sure.”
HEYWARD REHAB
Outfielder Jason Heyward is scheduled to start a minor-league injury-rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday in Sacramento.
Heyward went through another workout with the Dodgers Tuesday and will travel with them to San Francisco following Sunday’s game in San Diego. He’ll take Monday off then play for OKC on Tuesday and Wednesday. Whether he needs a longer rehab will be determined after those two games, Roberts said.
“We’ll see,” he said.
“Physically, he’s in a good spot. The other part of it is we want to make sure his swing is in a good spot. He took a lot of swings today which is good. We want to make sure he feels good and confident that he can help us when he gets out here.”
Heyward has been sidelined since March 30 with a lower back strain.
UP NEXT
Dodgers (RHP Walker Buehler, 0-0, 6.75 ERA) at Padres (RHP Yu Darvish, 2-1, 2.94 ERA), Sunday, 1:10 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA, 570 AM