Ohtani skips bullpen session as L.A. stays cautiou...

NEW YORK -- Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani did not throw his scheduled bullpen session Saturday as he continues to deal with discomfort in his left knee. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani experienced "a little bit of regression" after his last bullpen session Wednesday. Three days later, Roberts said Ohtani and the club opted to proceed with caution. "We're going to just kick the can on that one," Roberts said. "Like I said yesterday, we're not going to move forward until he feels 100% confident, we feel 100% confident that he should do it." Ohtani, 32, was one of the top pitchers in the majors in his first full season on the mound since 2023, logging a 1.79 ERA in 14 starts, before the knee pain resurfaced earlier this month. The right-hander last pitched on July 3 when he allowed three runs over six innings against the San Diego Padres. He was scratched from his next start and didn't travel to Philadelphia for the All-Star Game despite leading all vote getters to focus on treatment, which included being injected with a lubricant July 12, the final day before the All-Star break. Roberts announced Ohtani was scheduled to start Wednesday against the Philadelphia Phillies, but he was scratched again. Instead, he threw a bullpen. Ohtani also left a June 11 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates because of irritation in the left knee. He had pitched the previous day, surrendering four runs across 6 ⅔ innings. Ohtani underwent a procedure on the left knee to address a congenital condition called bipartite patella, in which the kneecap is made of two separate bones instead of one fused bone, in September 2019 while with the Los Angeles Angels. He was given the next day off and has managed the flare ups ever since. Roberts on Saturday maintained that Ohtani's knee pain is only an issue when he pitches, not when he hits or runs. The four-time MVP has started the Dodgers' last 15 games, including Saturday's matchup against the New York Mets, as the team's designated hitter in his customary leadoff spot. On Friday, he went 2 for 4 with a double that he attempted to stretch into a triple with a dead sprint before he was thrown out at third base. Ohtani has not spoken to reporters since before the All-Star break. "From his words, the hitting, the running, as he has done the last couple of nights, doesn't affect him," Roberts said. "So, I can only go by what him and the training staff are telling me. Unless I hear otherwise, that hitting compromises his health, then I'm going to keep putting him out there." Ohtani, the front-runner to win his third straight National League MVP award, began Saturday batting .286 with 22 home runs and a .920 OPS that ranks seventh in the majors in 99 games.