Shohei Ohtani Misses Pitching Start and All-Star Game for Left Knee Drainage

3 articles · Updated · FOX Sports · Jul 16

The Dodgers held Shohei Ohtani out of his scheduled pitching start and the All-Star Game after continued irritation in his left knee prompted a drainage procedure.
Ohtani said the knee affects him more on the mound than at the plate, where he still homered four times in his final six games before the break.
His pitching results had recently slipped as his ERA rose from 0.74 after 10 starts to 1.79 after 14 runs — 12 earned — over his last four outings.
Los Angeles hopes the minor procedure stabilizes its two-way star for the stretch run, with Ohtani ranking third in the NL in OPS and second in ERA among pitchers with at least 75 innings.
The health question lands as the defending champions begin the second half and try to protect their bid to repeat.