MLB’s star players will be throwing down some baseballs during the Home Run Derby on July 15, but Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani won’t be among them.
After the Dodgers’ 6-5 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night, manager Dave Roberts broke the news that the Japanese megastar would miss the Derby. Normally, Ohtani would be happy to play, but he and the team decided that his rehabilitation from Tommy John surgery is a priority.
“In any other normal situation where he wasn’t rehabbing, I think he would be happy to participate,” Roberts said. “I know it’s a big burden on him, but I do think the rehab process will ultimately make him feel better about giving up.”
Roberts said the biggest concern is the flow of Ohtani’s rehab, which would disrupt the Derby. But there is also a chance Ohtani could get injured.
“When you’re playing every day in addition to rehab, it’s very regimented, so if you have an exceptional situation like a Home Run Derby, that’s something you’re prepared for,” he said. “It would just be a real disappointment for not only Shohei, the Dodgers and the fans if something were to happen during something like that, which is essentially a demonstration.”
Ohtani, who turns 30 on Friday, is hitting .320/.402/.646 with 27 homers and 16 stolen bases in 83 games this season. He has appeared in the Home Run Derby before, in 2021. He has hit 28 homers but was edged out by Juan Soto’s 31 in the head-to-head matchup.
Only one player has agreed to participate in the 2024 Home Run Derby so far: Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson. He and the other eventual participants will be the first to try out the Derby’s new rules, which aim to slow the normally frenetic pace of the annual slugfest.
