Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman is a fan of just about everything Shohei Ohtani does on and off the field.

If he had to nitpick one thing, he'd love for Ohtani to be a little more transparent about his health. 

Friedman spoke to reporters and had a tiny bit of criticism for Ohtani, saying he's not always 100% honest about how he feels. That makes it difficult for the Dodgers to gauge just how injured he may or may not be.

“He’s not always the best reporter of how he feels,” Friedman said of Ohtani. “Freddie [Freeman] is the same way. Clayton Kershaw. I’ve been around a lot of these guys that feel like their job is to be out there to help the team however they can, and sometimes will downplay some things that are bothering them.”

Ohtani has battled lingering left knee soreness, right biceps/arm discomfort and a neck issue for the better part of the last few months.

That flurry of injuries kept him from performing up to par and ultimately led to the two-way superstar being ruled out of pitching for the rest of the regular season and into the postseason. 

Ohtani last pitched on July 3, his 32nd birthday, and he was officially ruled out from pitching for the rest of the season in early September. 

Although Ohtani remained in the MVP conversation this season, his numbers have been far below his previous two MVP seasons. 

The 2026 season is certainly a down year when compared to the last two seasons. His slugging and home run pace have noticeably dropped off from his 50-plus home run seasons in 2024 and 2025. 

His OPS is also well below his numbers from the past two seasons, as well. Ohtani will finish the season wth an OPS below 1.000 for the first time since 2022. 

Ohtani's current .901 OPS would be the second-lowest of his career in a season in which he played in at least 110 games.

“I think in his mind, he just thought that what he was dealing with was more minor,” Friedman said. “Again, the communication back and forth has been awesome. The fully sharing exactly how he’s feeling, maybe not as awesome.”

Ohtani returned from the 15-day IL this week, his first time going on the IL as a member of the Dodgers. 

Now, the Dodgers are monitoring him closely and plan to give him everyday at-bats through the end of the regular season in the hopes he regains his swing ahead of October. 

Ohtani still put together an incredible season and the Dodgers will hope he's close to 100% in the postseason. Come next season, the team will look for slightly better communication to ensure he stays healthy all year.

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