On Tuesday night, Dave Roberts was definitive when asked about Shohei Ohtani’s status for Wednesday:

“He’ll be in the lineup tomorrow.”

But, when the team’s lineup dropped Wednesday afternoon, the two-way star was yet again nowhere to be found.

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani looks on from the dugout steps against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Instead, Ohtani was absent from the Dodgers’ batting order for the sixth time in the last seven games, thanks to continued discomfort with a right arm injury following his one-day return to action on Monday.

During that Monday night game, in which Ohtani went 0-for-3 with a walk, Roberts said he later learned that the slugger “didn’t feel great” after one of his swings –– a troubling development considering Ohtani had just come off four-consecutive days of rest that the club hoped would help him progress from his arm and left knee injuries.

Roberts added that he was not aware of that setback when updating Ohtani’s status publicly Tuesday night.

“The concern is that after four days [off], to then take four at-bats and feel something in an at-bat where we can’t keep going forward, that’s disappointing,” Roberts said. “But that’s kind of where we’re at. And I think we’re of the mind to give him today [off], and anything should be on the table [moving forward], as far as what gets him to be the best version of himself in September.”

Asked if that could include an injured list stint, Roberts said yes.

“It could,” he said. “Obviously, it’s not ideal, given that it would potentially be 15 days [that he would have to miss]. But I still stand by whatever is best for him is best for us. We’ll have to make that decision at some point.”

The Dodgers, of course, have tried to avoid putting Ohtani on the IL even as questions over his health have grown in recent weeks. If they were to reverse course now, Ohtani wouldn’t be eligible to return until Sept. 23, at which point there would be less than a week remaining in the regular season for him to rediscover his swing.

In hindsight, Roberts acknowledged on Wednesday, “I would love to go back and put him on the IL” after he initially showed signs of pain last Wednesday.

“But I did feel at that moment in time –– we all felt –– that giving him four days was sufficient,” the manager countered.

Chalk it up as one more regrettable outcome in the team’s efforts to manage Ohtani’s health this year.

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Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani is seen in the dugout prior to the game against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Already, Ohtani has been effectively shut down from pitching for the rest of the season, having not made a start since early July and not done any throwing activities over the last week and a half.

The Dodgers were also planning to bake in more off days for the 32-year-old over the rest of the regular season as a form of “load management,” hoping that could get him back in form offensively amid a 6-for-49 slump that dates back to mid-August.

Now, however, uncertainty only continues to mount over how much Ohtani will play in the coming days, how he will perform over the coming weeks, and whether he will look anything like his normal four-time MVP self by the time October arrives.

By Wednesday, Roberts could no longer even describe Ohtani’s arm issue as just bothering his biceps –– which had been the club’s previous diagnosis –– saying instead that his discomfort is now impacting his full arm generally.

“That’s why when you saw him a week ago shaking his arm, it’s just the arm,” Roberts said. “It’s not one specific thing.”

Despite all that, Roberts still tried to voice some optimism that Ohtani would be an impactful piece of the Dodgers’ postseason lineup.

He noted that the superstar has played through subpar health before, and that his presence in the batter’s box alone is a boon to the team’s offense.

However, concern is nonetheless growing, and the time left for him to recover is quickly running out.

“Is he going to be 100% by the end of this season? No,” Roberts conceded, before later adding: “If he played one day and was off yesterday, and then didn’t feel recovered enough to play tonight, that’s tough.”