Dodgers push back Shohei Ohtani’s next start after discomfort follows bullpen work

Shohei Ohtani will not pitch Sunday, with the Los Angeles Dodgers reassessing the timing of his next mound appearance after he felt discomfort in his knee following bullpen work on Friday. The plan to get him back in the rotation, which had included a hoped-for start against the Detroit Tigers, has been scrapped as the team continues to work through the underlying issues that have limited him since early July.

According to MLB Trade Rumors, Ohtani has been unable to pitch since July 3 because of knee and biceps problems. In the weeks since, the Dodgers have treated his progress as incremental, with a return to starting duty still being treated as an uncertain step rather than a scheduled comeback.

The Dodgers reportedly had intended to start Ohtani against the Tigers on Sunday, a decision that would have represented a major return of a central two-way force to a high-leverage point in the season. Instead, he came out of Friday’s bullpen session feeling discomfort in his knee, and that reaction led the team to adjust course.

The immediate takeaway for Dodgers fans is that the team’s rotation planning now has to account for at least another start not being available from one of its most important starters. In practical terms, that means additional innings allocation questions for the rest of the pitching staff, as L.A. will need to fill the spot with someone else and manage workload carefully to avoid ripple effects later in the week.

There is also an added layer of uncertainty because the issue is not being framed as a simple day-to-day issue. MLB Trade Rumors’ account ties his current limitations to both knee and biceps concerns, and it also indicates that even after bullpen progress, he is still capable of triggering setbacks when he tries to ramp up baseball activity.

What to watch next is how the Dodgers structure Ohtani’s follow-up plan. If the discomfort resolves quickly, the team may attempt another progression step sooner rather than later. If it persists or worsens, the Dodgers could extend the time away from pitching, which would carry over into subsequent scheduled pitching opportunities and potentially change who becomes the most reliable option at the top of the rotation.

For Detroit, the Tigers’ role in this story is straightforward but consequential. Sunday’s matchup no longer serves as a stage for Ohtani’s return, meaning the game will be shaped more by whoever L.A. deploys instead and how long the Dodgers can keep their bullpen insulated.

Overall, the update reinforces a theme that has followed Ohtani’s season since July: the Dodgers are not willing to force a return until he can complete the next step of his workload without triggering discomfort. The next update likely will come from whatever the Dodgers decide is the appropriate timing for another progression attempt, and from how the team reacts in the short-term to keep its staff fresh while one of its marquee arms stays on the sidelines.