Ohtani pitches vs. Mets, doesn't DH due to shoulder soreness
Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani wasn't in the starting lineup at designated hitter and only served as his team's starting pitcher during Wednesday's game against the New York Mets.
Dalton Rushing slotted in at DH and hit seventh, while Kyle Tucker moved up to Ohtani's usual leadoff spot.
Mets pitcher David Peterson hit Ohtani in the shoulder during Monday's game. Although the four-time MVP appeared to be in pain after being hit by the pitch, he remained in the contest and was back in the lineup at DH on Tuesday. However, manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday that Ohtani was still feeling some shoulder soreness, which played into the lineup decision, according to David Vassegh of AM 570 Los Angeles.
It’s been quite a traumatizing day for Shohei Ohtani at the plate 😅 pic.twitter.com/PmKACfdgyc
— js9innings (@js9inningsmedia) April 14, 2026
"If it weren't for the hit-by-pitch, he would have been DHing and pitching tonight," Roberts said, according to Sonja Chen of MLB.com.
The skipper added that Ohtani only pitching "gives him the best chance to stay loose during the outing," per Jack Harris of the California Post.
Wednesday marked the first time Ohtani has started as a pitcher without hitting since May 28, 2021, when he was with the Los Angeles Angels. He took the loss in that outing, allowing three runs while striking out five and walking four over six innings.
Ohtani had better results this time around, as he struck out 10 and allowed just two hits and one earned run while walking two over six innings of work. He left the game with the Dodgers holding a 3-1 lead.
Ohtani is off to another stellar start in 2026 on both sides of the ball. As a hitter, he's slashing .254/.402/.508 with five homers and 10 RBIs over 82 plate appearances. On the mound, he now owns a 0.50 ERA and 0.72 WHIP with 18 strikeouts across 18 innings.
Heading into Wednesday's action, the 31-year-old owned both the longest active on-base streak (48 games) as a hitter and the longest active streak without allowing an earned run (28 2/3 innings) as a pitcher, with both runs dating back to last year. Ohtani's pitching streak was snapped at 33 innings when Mets DH MJ Melendez ripped an RBI double in the 5th inning.
Because he didn't have a plate appearance Wednesday, his on-base streak remains active.