EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsLOS ANGELES -- Shohei Ohtani was scratched from his scheduled pitching start on Friday due to continued irritation in his left knee, according to the Los Angeles Dodgers, who made the announcement roughly six hours before he was scheduled to take the mound.Ohtani will still serve as the Dodgers' designated hitter for their weekend series against the division-rival Arizona Diamondbacks but will not join the rest of his teammates at the All-Star Game thereafter. In a statement, the Dodgers said Ohtani will instead "have some interventions on his knee to put him in the best position for the second half of the season."Ohtani left a June 11 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates early because of irritation in that left knee -- the same knee that underwent surgery to address a congenital condition called bipartite patella in September of 2019 -- and had the next day off. He has been managing it ever since.Ohtani, five days removed from his 32nd birthday, had also been dealing with a blister in his pitching hand and tightness in his right bicep, but both those issues have seemingly subsided. With the All-Star break approaching, Ohtani is slashing .290/.405/.534 with 20 home runs and six stolen bases while going 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA in 14 starts.In his absence, the Dodgers will stage a bullpen game on Friday.
