The Los Angeles Dodgers won the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday by 8-6, but it came at the cost of two injury scares. Shohei Ohtani exited the game in the 7th inning, and Justin Wrobleski in the 5th inning. Entering Thursday, Ohtani was hitting .305/.421/.543 with 13 homers, while Wrobleski stands with a 2.94 ERA. The Dodgers fans are just about to get a full season of Ohtani as a two-way player.

However, surprisingly, despite Dave Roberts‘ assurance about his injury, fans hit the panic button on what’s next coming up.

“I think that we tried to be smart about it and, you know, talked to the trainer and said he had a little behind the knee and behind the knee, little hamstring, so just wanted to be smart and not push it. So I feel good about him being in there tomorrow. But obviously, with the travel tonight, we’ll just kind of see how he comes in,” Roberts said about the latest update on Ohtani.

In the 7th inning, Ohtani continued batting with left knee inflammation. He reportedly felt the pain in his hamstring area after a stolen-base attempt off a foul ball. But Ohtani didn’t ask to leave the game; rather, it was a precautionary measure by the Dodgers. Ohtani’s next day availability still, though, depends on how he feels tomorrow.

Back in 2017, he suffered a pulled muscle in his left thigh/hamstring while running out an infield single in NPB, which caused him to miss about six weeks of action.

It comes as a relief that Ohtani will continue with his batting tomorrow, but that also comes with additional concern. In the previous game, Ohtani pitched 6 innings, giving up 3 ERs, and had 5 at-bats, including 1 homer. Then on Thursday again, Ohtani had 2 at-bats, including a homer. So, while Roberts assured that Ohtani will be at the plate tomorrow despite his injury scare, fans hope that placing him in the next game could put more stress.

For the fans, Wrobleski leaving the game in the 5th inning also came as another concern, and again, Roberts assured about his availability in his next start. “No, he’s fine, he’s fine, got the ball off him fine. He’s just more frustrated with his performance tonight and wanted to go deeper in again,” Roberts said. Wrobleski struggled on the mound as he gave up 4 ERs with just 1 SO.

In the 5th inning, the 25-year-old collided with the Pirates’ Bryan Reynolds. The Pirates slugger hit a grounder that caromed off Wrobleski and toward Freddie Freeman. Wrobleski sprinted towards the first, only to collide with Reynolds. He tumbled to the ground and was attended to by the Dodgers trainers and left the field.

“I’ll get some treatment on it, and I’ll be fine,” Wrobleski said. “I don’t think it’s a big deal. Just a little frustrating.”

While there’s some time left for Wrobleski’s next start, things are different for Ohtani. Fans are panicked, thinking that overexposing Ohtani would prove costly.

The Dodgers fans are left panicked with Shohei Ohtani

Fans are more concerned as Roberts hinted at Ohtani’s hamstring injury. “Should we be more worried about the fact that it’s hamstring-related?” One fan asked. Notably, hamstring injuries are highly concerning in baseball because they are the most common reason position players miss time, typically costing them an average of 2 to 3 weeks of the season. “60 IL stint incoming,” another fan predicted. 

The explosive burst required for sprinting out of the batter’s box, combined with sudden stops during fielding, makes these strains both frequent and prone to lingering. Ohtani, being a two-way player, gets exposed to this risk more.

“Just let Ohtani rest for one day. He was supposed to be on a rest day after pitching yesterday anyway,” One user suggested. “Shohei needs to be off after pitching,” another agreed.

Ohtani had a pitching and batting day in the second game against the Pirates, then had batting on Thursday, and then again, tomorrow he will come to bat. According to the fans, Shohei Ohtani should be given a rest for tomorrow as a precautionary measure. The Dodgers are currently 44-25 in the division and a cool 9 games ahead of the second-ranked San Diego Padres. So, they have the opportunity to bench Ohtani for at least a few games. That will ensure Ohtani’s availability in the postseason.

“Dave lies so much,” one fan responded. Despite Roberts’ assurance of putting Ohtani on the field tomorrow, fans are far from believing him. The Dodgers fans know the pain of missing Shohei Ohtani for a long time, and they don’t want the repetition again.