Ohtani feels considerably better after right-biceps tightness, could return for Dodgers-Sunday finale

The Dodgers’ two-way star Shohei Ohtani was out of the starting lineup on Saturday, following an early exit the previous night attributed to right biceps tightness. Los Angeles treated the situation as a precautionary pause rather than an extended shutdown, and the club’s stated plan left room for Ohtani to still contribute in some capacity depending on how he felt as the day progressed.

After receiving treatment on his biceps, Ohtani arrived at Saturday “feeling ‘considerably better,’” according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. Roberts also left open the possibility of Ohtani appearing as a late-game pinch hitter, describing the path as conditional on how the day went rather than a hard return-to-play timetable.

Roberts’ comments framed Sunday as the most likely next step. He indicated that if Ohtani continued to trend the way the team expected, the Dodgers would have him in the lineup for the finale the next day. That would mark a quicker resolution than the team feared when the biceps tightened following Friday’s outing.

The timing of the flare-up mattered. The issue emerged after Ohtani threw a season-high 110 pitches on Friday, a workload that left him feeling discomfort during his final at-bat even though he said he was still able to play through it at the plate. According to the reporting, Ohtani has experienced a similar location earlier in the season, and he suggested the discomfort had previously faded relatively quickly.

The plan also included a broader look at his body beyond the right biceps. Ohtani has been dealing with lingering soreness in his left knee, and there was also mention of a blister on his right hand. Those factors matter because they influence whether a player can handle the full two-way rhythm or whether the Dodgers choose to manage his workload more conservatively.

One decision still hovering in the background was whether Ohtani would make another pitching start before the All-Star break. Roberts said the option of skipping that pitching appearance could be on the table, tying it to how Ohtani looks when he resumes throwing and how his throwing progression goes after the weekend. The immediate priority, the club indicated, was seeing how he comes away from resuming baseball activities on Sunday and then monitoring the progression leading up to whatever the next scheduled start decision becomes.

For Dodgers fans, the key takeaway is that the right-biceps issue appears to be settling faster than it could have, at least based on how Ohtani felt after treatment on Saturday. For Ohtani, the next benchmark is simple but consequential: how his body responds when he returns to catching, throwing, and normal pregame preparation, and whether the Dodgers can safely move him from “possible pinch-hit” to “back in the lineup” for Sunday.

On Sunday, the focus should be less on narrative and more on repeatable signs. If Ohtani can resume throwing without a setback and continue to build toward his expected workload, the Dodgers could be positioned to keep their lineup intact while also preserving the option of pitching around the All-Star break. If the biceps tightness reappears during the throwing progression, however, the Dodgers likely will lean further into a cautious approach, keeping his availability tied to daily feel rather than a fixed plan.