Dodgers push back Shohei Ohtani’s next pitching start by two days

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WEST SACRAMENTO –– Shohei Ohtani’s next pitching start is getting pushed back a couple days, with the two-way star now set to take the mound on Friday back in Los Angeles against the Padres, and not Wednesday’s series finale against the Athletics as originally scheduled.

The change in schedule comes as Ohtani continues to nurse a knee injury that manager Dave Roberts has said is still not 100%, and as the Dodgers navigate a stretch of 13 consecutive days with a game.

“If there’s any opportunity to give him some extra rest, we’re going to try to take advantage of it,” manager Dave Roberts said.

Ohtani last took the mound last Wednesday in Minnesota, giving up three runs (two earned) over six innings after overcoming some early miscommunication with catcher Dalton Rushing.

With Ohtani getting pushed back, the Dodgers will go with a bullpen game on Wednesday before giving the ball to Roki Sasaki on Thursday.

The team freshened up its relief corps on Tuesday afternoon by recalling right-hander Wyatt Mills from triple-A Oklahoma City while designating for assignment Jonathan Hernández (who pitched multiple innings in Monday’s series-opening win against the Athletics).

The Dodgers have largely been able to avoid bullpen games this year thanks to their use of a consistent six-man rotation –– which they’ve maintained despite injuries to Blake Snell (who this week threw his second bullpen session since undergoing a loose body-removal surgery on his elbow in May) and Tyler Glasnow (who has once again resumed a throwing progression in his recovery from a back spasms issue).

The Dodgers don’t have an obvious triple-A option to call up for a spot start, with top pitching prospect River Ryan currently sidelined for the second time this year with a hamstring problem.

After Ohtani’s start on Friday against the Padres, he’ll take the mound one more time before the All-Star break against the Diamondbacks on July 10. Roberts noted the opportunity to pitch Ohtani against the Dodgers’ two closest division rivals in the standings –– the team entered Tuesday with an 11-game lead over the second-place Padres and 12 ½-game lead over the third-place Dbacks –– also factored into the team’s decision.

“Pushing him to Friday allows us to have him still take two starts before the break and get on two division opponents,” Roberts said. “In that vein, there’s just no downside. This made too much sense.”

Roberts said Ohtani’s lingering knee issue, which first popped up after a start in Pittsburgh earlier this month and has led the two-way star to wear a sleeve on his knee, was also a consideration, though not the main driver.

“It’s mostly schedule-driven,” Roberts said. “We talked to Shohei and he was agreeing to whatever we felt, knowing it’s best for him. So again, upside-downside – there’s no downside with him losing starts, get more rest. No downside was the thought. That was the whole driver.”