Shohei Ohtani was out of the Dodgers lineup against the Mets on April 15, 2026, even though he was scheduled to start on the mound in a pitcher-only appearance. Kyle Tucker moved into leadoff duties and Freddie Freeman shifted from cleanup to the No. 2 spot as Los Angeles reshuffled around Ohtani’s absence.
The decision marked a sharp break from how the Dodgers have used him this season. Ohtani had played as a designated hitter 347 times for Los Angeles before Tuesday and had combined pitching and hitting 20 times, including the playoffs, before Wednesday. The last time he started as a pitcher without hitting was May 28, 2021, during his Angels career, before the Ohtani rule let him stay in as a designated hitter after finishing as a starter. This time, he would be out of the game once he finished throwing.
The move comes two days after Mets pitcher David Peterson hit Ohtani on the shoulder, and Ohtani went 0-for-7 at the plate between Monday and Tuesday after that pitch. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday that Ohtani was still sore, but he added that the setup “gives him the best chance to stay loose during the outing.”
There is also no immediate risk to one of the streaks that has defined Ohtani’s start to 2026. He entered Wednesday as the only real starting pitcher not to allow an earned run this season, and the pitcher-only appearance would not threaten his MLB-best 48-game on-base streak. That leaves the Dodgers trying to balance health, lineup construction and his workload at a moment when every Ohtani outing draws a second set of eyes.
For one night, the most unusual part of the Mets - Dodgers matchup was not where Ohtani was pitching. It was where he was not hitting.
