Shohei Ohtani's left knee injury may worsen again? Dodgers pitching coach: "I'm moderately concerned" about him right now

Los Angeles Dodgers' two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani recently had to reluctantly withdraw from the All-Star Game due to recurring inflammation and fluid buildup in his left knee. He is using this break to undergo treatment and have the fluid drained from his knee. Regarding the true extent of Ohtani's injury, Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior gave his personal assessment in an exclusive interview with the Los Angeles Times: "Honestly, I'm about 'moderately concerned' about him right now." He also pointed out the root cause of Ohtani's left knee issue.

In a lengthy report published on July 17, Los Angeles Times Dodgers beat writer Maddie Lee revealed that the swelling and inflammation in Ohtani's knee have been more severe than the team anticipated. More troubling is that, based on current observations, simply stepping onto the pitcher's mound seems to aggravate the injury further.

Pitching coach Prior said before the All-Star break: "Honestly, my level of concern for him right now is 'moderate,' but it's not necessarily greater than my concern for any other player dealing with physical discomfort. We hope that the rest during the All-Star break will allow his knee to properly drain. We'll find out soon how he's recovering."

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts emphasized the seriousness of the situation: "With our talent, our goal is of course to achieve the best record in the league, and Ohtani's health is the core of everything." Roberts even stated bluntly that the team can no longer take Ohtani's two-way role for granted. "We now have to observe Shohei's workload with a more open mindset. We can't just assume he can handle every at-bat and also pitch like a regular starter. I think that would be unfair to him."

Beyond strictly managing the dual demands of being a two-way player, the team's most immediate task is to correct Ohtani's pitching mechanics in order to prevent the knee injury from recurring. On this, Prior explained: "We've identified the issue, but sometimes knowing the problem and actually fixing it are two different things, especially for a player who can't dedicate all his time to adjusting his mechanics. A typical starting pitcher can go to the bullpen multiple times between starts to fine-tune his delivery. But Shohei has to start every game as the designated hitter. He needs to conserve energy for the long, grueling season, so he can't do the kind of high-intensity bullpen work that a regular pitcher would."

Through analysis, the Dodgers' coaching staff found that when Ohtani pitches, his left leg's stride is too long, causing his landing foot to be too close to the inside of his body. This creates additional, unnatural strain on his left knee during the rotational release of the pitch, ultimately leading to recurring inflammation and fluid buildup.

Prior further analyzed the phenomenon of body compensation in elite athletes: "He later tried to correct that movement, but I suspect that during the high-intensity competition of the game, the injury got worse. After all, these top athletes are masters of physical compensation. During a game, they may not immediately realize what's happening in their body, but they somehow find other ways to compensate and force the ball out. Only after the game do they start to feel soreness in certain parts of their body."

Prior concluded with a clear verdict: "If he can successfully correct his pitching mechanics, then both his pitching execution and command accuracy will see a very significant improvement."