NEW YORK -- Shohei Ohtani will miss his scheduled start Wednesday against the Philadelphia Phillies and will stay off the mound indefinitely as he deals with irritation in his left knee, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday.
Roberts said Friday that the initial plan was for Ohtani, who hasn't pitched in more than two weeks, to return to the mound Wednesday in Philadelphia.
But that changed when Ohtani told the Dodgers' training staff that the knee wasn't progressing as he expected before throwing his usual bullpen session.
Roberts said he does not yet know whether Ohtani's start will just be pushed back a few days or skipped altogether. He said he expects Ohtani to pitch again this season; it's just a matter of when.
"Kind of where we're at, right now, how we're proceeding, I would say that it's going to be some time," Roberts said before the Dodgers' doubleheader against the New York Yankees. "And I say that it's not going to be a day-to-day thing."
From the plate Sunday, Ohtani went 2-for-5 with two RBIs and a run during an 8-2 victory in the opener, and was back in the leadoff spot as the designated hitter for the nightcap. He went 1-for-4 with an infield single in Game 2 and struck out with two runners aboard in the eighth inning of a 2-1 loss. He also threw in the outfield between games and ended a long day at Yankee Stadium feeling fine.
"Overall, I think a good day for Shohei," Roberts said.
Ohtani has not pitched since July 3, when he allowed three runs over six innings against the San Diego Padres. He was scratched from his next outing, though he continued as the Dodgers' designated hitter. He had a lubricant injected into the knee July 12, the Sunday before the All-Star break, and did not travel to Philadelphia for the All-Star Game.
"I just think for us, it's more like what we've done many times over, erring on the side of caution," Roberts said.
The change prompted the Dodgers to move Emmet Sheehan's scheduled start back a day to Monday.
Roberts said the Dodgers have not considered shutting Ohtani down completely for multiple days because the knee is an issue only when he pitches.
"He did this pitching," Roberts said. "When he does swing the bat, it's the back knee versus the land knee where you're kind of driving off of it to create torque when you pitch. So there is no feeling of any sensation [when he hits] or any reason why we feel like we've got to stop hitting."
Ohtani, a four-time MVP and the three-time defending National League MVP, is a huge favorite to win the award again this season. He has been one of the best pitchers in the majors in his first full season on the mound since 2023 with a 1.79 ERA over 85⅔ innings across 14 starts. Ohtani is batting .292 with 22 home runs while ranking third in the NL in OPS (.946) and wRC+ (154).
The Associated Press contributed to this report.