Shohei Ohtani is expected to start on Thursday after a knee injection, and the Dodgers will strictly manage his workload in the second half.

The Los Angeles Dodgers hope Shohei Ohtani will see a significant improvement in his performance after receiving treatment for his left knee, but the team clearly needs to remain highly cautious about the two-way superstar's workload following the All-Star break.

On Friday night local time, Ohtani served as the Dodgers' designated hitter at Yankee Stadium as scheduled, beginning the team's second-half journey. According to manager Dave Roberts, as long as Ohtani feels good in his throwing drills and bullpen sessions over the next few days, his first pitching start of the second half is expected to take place on Thursday at Citizens Bank Park, the home of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Last week, due to persistent discomfort in his left knee, Ohtani was abruptly pulled from his last scheduled pitching start of the first half. He had been playing through intermittent pain until the All-Star break, during which he received a lubricating injection in his knee, which also forced him to miss the MLB All-Star Game.

The Dodgers are hoping that this injection, combined with a four-day rest during the All-Star weekend, will effectively relieve Ohtani's knee. However, the team has also made it clear that they will adopt a flexible approach when managing his future workload. Roberts said, "It all depends on how his knee feels. If needed, we are obviously prepared to scale back his load at any time. But Shohei himself wants to be on the field as much as possible."

Earlier this season, to help Ohtani smoothly adapt to his first full two-way season since 2023, the Dodgers took a more proactive approach to his schedule. In the first two months, he was even left out of the starting lineup in some of his pitching starts, but by the end of May, he had begun regularly taking on full two-way duties.

To balance Ohtani's workload, the Dodgers devised a compromise: whenever possible, they schedule his pitching starts on the day before a team off-day, ensuring he gets a full day of recovery. However, Roberts noted that due to scheduling constraints, Ohtani cannot always have an off-day as a buffer before each pitching appearance. In certain specific situations, he may choose to give Ohtani a day off after a game.

This season, Ohtani has been incredibly dominant both as a hitter and a pitcher, but the Dodgers' top priority is to ensure he maintains that dominance on both sides of the ball during the season's final stretch and the long playoff journey. Currently, the Dodgers boast the best record in the league and hold a double-digit lead in the National League West, giving them ample room to manage Ohtani's usage cautiously in the short term, all to ensure he stays in peak form for the most critical long-term goals.