Shohei Ohtani will miss the Ohtani All-Star Game, with the Los Angeles Dodgers choosing to keep their two-way superstar out as he continues to deal with a knee issue that has lingered for weeks. The decision takes the league’s leading vote-getter out of a marquee showcase, but it also underlines how carefully the Dodgers are managing his workload.
Earlier this season, Ohtani hid the same biceps injury from Dave Roberts, and this past Friday the Dodgers scratched him from his scheduled start. Now the All-Star Game absence has followed, with the club prioritising treatment and recovery rather than asking him to push through another important moment on the calendar.
Ohtani apologises to the fans
Ohtani said he feels bad for the supporters who voted for him, making clear that the disappointment is not lost on him. “I feel bad for the fans who voted for me,” he said, adding that he believes they wanted to see him play and that he regrets having to drop out after being voted in.
That is the key tension here: the event loses its biggest attraction, but Ohtani’s response shows he understands exactly what the selection meant. Being voted in carries weight, and for a player of his status, missing the game is not just a scheduling note — it is a moment that matters to the people who backed him.
The Dodgers are playing the long game
The encouraging detail for Los Angeles is that Ohtani’s two-way duties are expected to continue normally. That suggests the club do not see this as a wider setback, but as a situation to manage carefully before the second half of the season begins in earnest.
For now, the Dodgers have made the calculation that protecting Ohtani is more important than the short-term spectacle of the All-Star stage. It is a sensible call, even if it leaves the league’s top vote-getter watching from the sidelines when many expected to see him centre stage.
