NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
The face of baseball will not be at Tuesday’s All-Star Game.
Shohei Ohtani was scratched from starting Friday as the Los Angeles Dodgers said he would also miss the Midsummer Classic because of what the team called left knee irritation.
Ohtani, for obvious reasons, has become a fixture at the All-Star Game. He has earned the honor in each of the last five seasons and made his first start in 2021.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PK Press Club
Starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers warms up before the MLB game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on June 3, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The two-way phenom is poised to win his fifth MVP award in his last six seasons as he hits .290 with a .939 OPS and pitches to a minuscule 1.79 ERA, the second-lowest in the sport among pitchers with more than 80 innings. His OPS is also the seventh-best mark in the league.
The Dodgers said Ohtani will be the team’s designated hitter until the break, but will “undergo some knee procedures to put him in the best position for the second half of the season.”
Ohtani had knee issues earlier in the season.
This is certainly a big win for the game as the other face of the sport, Aaron Judge, will miss the game due to a fractured rib that has kept him sidelined since late May.
Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers prepares in the on-deck circle against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on June 1, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) (Norm Room/Getty Images)
DODGERS WILL VISIT WHITE HOUSE AGAIN TO CELEBRATE WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP, OFFICIAL SAYS
Ohtani has hit 99 home runs combined in 2024 and 2025, leading the National League with a 1.025 OPS during that span. Ohtani did not pitch in 2024 after elbow surgery, but returned to the field last year and owned a 2.87 ERA and 11.9 K/9, numbers he also posted in 2022 and led the American League.
The “Japanese Babe Ruth” is the only player in MLB history to have more than 300 plate appearances and more than 40 innings in six separate seasons (Ruth only did it twice and never stole 50 bases), and he more than excelled in both.
Shohei Ohtani pitches for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California on May 13, 2026. (Gary A. Vasquez/Imagn Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PK Press Club APP
Ohtani isn’t hitting like he used to, but the best pitching performance of his career will certainly make up for that. He “only” has 20 home runs and 56 RBIs this season.
