What happened: Shohei Ohtani will not play Saturday against the San Diego Padres after leaving Friday's game with a right biceps issue he felt while swinging. Miguel Rojas pinch-hit for him in the seventh inning, and Ohtani called the removal precautionary, saying he felt the same sensation about two months ago and it quickly went away. Manager Dave Roberts said the team is holding him out to be safe and is not concerned about the severity.
Why it matters: Any Ohtani ailment carries outsized weight for a Dodgers club he anchors as both a hitter and a pitcher, and it could make Los Angeles more cautious about using him on the mound and at the plate in the same game. It is not the first scare this season for the same Ohtani who was forced out of a game in Pittsburgh in June. The Dodgers enter Saturday at an MLB-best 58-31, with their NL West lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks at 14 games after Friday's results.
By the numbers: Before exiting Friday, Ohtani posted a quality start: 6 innings, 7 hits, 3 earned runs, 2 walks and 9 strikeouts, going 0-for-3 at the plate. His 1.79 ERA would rank second in the majors if he had enough innings to qualify. Teoscar Hernandez's seventh-inning grand slam keyed the Dodgers' 4-3 comeback win, their second straight rally past San Diego after erasing a six-run deficit the night before. Los Angeles leads the season series with the Padres 4-1 entering Saturday.
What to watch: Watch whether Ohtani returns to the lineup Sunday and whether the Dodgers adjust his two-way workload when his next scheduled start comes around.