Ohtani (knee) out vs. M's; Dodgers cite precaution

LOS ANGELES -- Shohei Ohtani was absent from the Los Angeles Dodgers' lineup Thursday because of lingering soreness in his left knee, the same one that has kept him from pitching for close to a month. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts described the decision as precautionary -- "just so it doesn't turn into something that it shouldn't that we can prevent," he said -- and expected Ohtani to return to the lineup Friday. The absence is nonetheless notable. Ohtani and Dodgers officials have continuously said the left knee -- his landing leg -- is only a problem when he pitches. That it was irritated while not pitching might be a red flag. Roberts said there was no one incident that occurred and believed it was more a function of Ohtani being on base seven times over the past two nights. "I appreciate the communication," Roberts said of Ohtani. "I can't read minds, the training staff can't read minds, so just for him to communicate that allows for us to make a decision." Ohtani, 32, last pitched in a game on July 3, throwing a season-high 110 pitches and later exiting while tweaking his right biceps on a swing. Nine days later, after the Dodgers' last game before the All-Star break, Ohtani had a lubricant injected into his left knee and took the next four days off in hopes of finding some relief. But the Dodgers skipped his scheduled start in Philadelphia on July 22. And when he instead threw a bullpen session that day, Ohtani further irritated the knee, while also causing a flare-up of his earlier biceps injury, prompting him to step away from throwing entirely. Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman expressed confidence Wednesday that Ohtani would pitch again this season, and Roberts said he was hopeful that Ohtani would begin playing catch as soon as this weekend. Doctors have told Ohtani that the knee will not fully heal until he rests it in the offseason. The Dodgers' hope is simply to make it more manageable. For now, the Dodgers are resisting putting him on the injured list. "That's a hard question, and I understand the thought behind it," Roberts said when asked about shutting down Ohtani. "But it's gotten better over the last few weeks markedly. He's been a very productive player. To essentially take it out of his hands, shut him down, the player -- you trust him. He feels like he can go. He's not 100%. Very few players are 100%. Then what is it? Is it 70%? Is it 80%, Is it 90%? For me, there's still that conversation where it's like he understands what's the most important part of the season is to come, and he understands his value with our team."