What happened: Shohei Ohtani is available for the Dodgers as Los Angeles opens its series against the Yankees, while Aaron Judge is out for New York, according to injury updates from Jorge Castillo. The status report comes as the two clubs prepare to face off this weekend.

Why it matters: Judge's absence takes the Yankees' top bat out of the lineup for the series against a Dodgers club that is already set to skip the same Ohtani who was scratched from the All-Star Game with left knee irritation on the mound this weekend. Ohtani being cleared to play still gives Los Angeles its full lineup at the plate for the matchup.

What to watch: The Dodgers and Yankees open their weekend series with Los Angeles' rotation already set to bypass Ohtani as a pitcher, per the club's announced plans.