Shohei Ohtani scratched from MLB All-Star Game with knee irritation
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The face of baseball will not be at Tuesday’s All-Star Game.
Shohei Ohtani was stripped from his start on Friday after the Los Angeles Dodgers said he would also miss the Midsummer Classic due to left knee discomfort.
Ohtani has become a fixture in the All-Star Game for obvious reasons. He earned the honor in each of the past five seasons and made his first start in 2021.
CLICK HERE TO GET MORE SPORTS NEWS ON FOXNEWS.COM
Shohei Ohtani, pitcher #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers, warms up before an MLB game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on June 03, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty Images) (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The two-way phenom is on track to win his fifth MVP award in his last six seasons; He is hitting .290 with a .939 OPS and pitching to a 1.79 ERA, the second-lowest mark in the sport among pitchers with 80-plus innings pitched. His OPS is also the seventh-best mark in the league.
The Dodgers said Ohtani will be the team’s starting hitter at halftime but will “do some work on his knee in the second half of the season to get him in the best position.”
Ohtani dealt with knee issues earlier in the season.
That’s certainly a huge accomplishment for the match, considering the other face of the sport, Aaron Judge, will miss the game with a broken rib that has kept him out since late May.
Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers suits up on deck against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on June 01, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo: Norm Hall/Getty Images) (Norm Hall/Getty Images)
OFFICIAL SAYS DODGERS WILL VISIT THE WHITE HOUSE AGAIN TO CELEBRATE WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP
Ohtani hit a combined 99 home runs in 2024 and 2025, leading the National League with a 1.025 OPS in that span. Ohtani did not pitch in 2024 after elbow surgery but returned to the mound last year and had a 2.87 ERA and 11.9 K/9; He put that number up to lead the American League in 2022 as well.
“Japanese Babe Ruth” is the only player in MLB history to start more than 300 games and strike out more than 40 times in six separate seasons (Ruth did this only twice and never stole 50 bases), and he was extremely successful at both.
Shohei Ohtani pitches for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California on May 13, 2026. (Gary A. Vasquez/Imagn Images)
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION
Ohtani isn’t hitting like he has in the past, but his career-best pitching performance will certainly make up for that. He has “only” 20 homers and 56 RBIs this season.
Follow Fox News Digital Sports streaming on Xand subscribe Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
