Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts declared Shohei Ohtani a full go at a team press conference on June 13, 2026, following a knee injury scare that had prompted a precautionary removal from a recent game.
Roberts said the swelling in Ohtani's knee is gone and that Ohtani had already hit in the cage and moved around prior to the press conference. "I think we're full go, but I do think that once he's out there playing catch, see how his knee responds," Roberts noted, indicating a final check during catch play remained before full clearance. Roberts also credited Ohtani himself as the primary driver of the return decision. "Shohei drove it. Training staff drove it," he stated, adding that Ohtani communicated he feels good and wants to play.
One restriction will remain in place: Roberts confirmed there will be no base stealing for Ohtani. With the knee situation managed, Roberts also laid out the starting pitching rotation for the upcoming series — Justin Lauer on June 15, Robo on June 16, and Ohtani on June 17. Roberts confirmed that Robo was a little sore after being struck by a ball but will be ready after four days of rest. On Yoshinobu Yamamoto's role, Roberts designated him as the team's stopper, explaining, "He's just got that pedigree as an ace. He's going to attack. He's won big games for us."
Roberts also addressed his own absence for part of the series, noting that Danny will run the show while he is out of pocket. Roberts explained that he is attending his youngest daughter's college graduation on June 14, 2026 — his fourth and last such event, having attended two high school and two college graduations across his children's careers. He added that prioritizing family events is healthy and should not be viewed as a sign of lesser commitment. "You do some things for your mental health or for your family and it's not frowned upon that you care less about your job," he said, citing paternity leave as another example of the same principle.
With Ohtani's swelling resolved and cage work completed as of June 13, 2026, the plan moving forward is for Ohtani to test his knee response during catch play before taking the mound as scheduled on June 17, with base stealing off the table for the foreseeable future.