Shohei Ohtani was set to play for the Dodgers in Game 3 of the World Series after suffering a shoulder injury

NEW YORK (AP) — Worries seemed to fade and Los Angeles Dodgers players were all smiles at Yankee Stadium as they prepared to Game 3 of the World Series: Shohei Ohtani was expected to play Monday night despite a partially dislocated left shoulder.

Ohtani was injured slid to second base when he was caught stealing, ending the seventh inning Saturday evening 4-2 victory over the New York Yankees in Game 2 in Los Angeles.

Fans and teammates wondered if Sho could go this week.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts made Ohtani’s presence at the top of the batting order sound almost certain.

“I just don’t see him playing Game 3,” Roberts said before Sunday night’s practice. “If he feels well enough to go, I see no reason why he shouldn’t be there.”

Ohtani did not travel with the team to New York to undergo imaging. He was on a separate flight.

“As far as test results are concerned, doctors everywhere are busy. I don’t have them,” Roberts said. “This is more me judging by the training staff, Shohei is feeling good this morning, range of motion, strength.”

Ohtani was scheduled to arrive at the ballpark in time for practice, which started at 6:00 PM EDT. Roberts said Ohtani had been taking dry swings since the injury and planned to hit a tee and take batting practice in an indoor cage.

“That will be significant,” the manager said. “He still has to go through practice and swing the bat, but again, today feels better than yesterday, and our assumption is that tomorrow will feel better than today.”

Roberts said the injury causes pain, but “it’s just everyone’s tolerance.”

“I don’t see him being endangered,” he added. “It’s the left shoulder, the back shoulder. So I don’t see how that affects his hitting, if he can go.”

Seeking their eighth title and second in five years, the Dodgers led 2-0 in the best-of-seven Series. Walker Buehler starts Game 3 for Los Angeles against Clarke Schmidt.

“If he can play, if he’s willing to play, he’s going to play,” Roberts said of Ohtani. “Schmidt will know Shohei is in the box, so that means everything.”

Ohtani clutched his left forearm after being tagged by shortstop Anthony Volpe for the final out in the seventh on a feet-first slide. He lay with the bag for a few minutes before being attended to by athletic trainers and leaving the field.

The likely NL MVP was 0 for 3 with a walk in Game 2. He is 1 for 8 in the first two games of the Fall Classic and is hitting .260 with three home runs and 10 RBIs in his first postseason in the Majors.

A two-time AL MVP with the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani joined the Dodgers for a record last December $700 million, 10-year contract.

The 30-year-old Ohtani batted .310 with 54 home runs, 130 RBIs and 59 stolen bases, becoming the first player with at least 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season. The two-time star did not pitch this season while recovering from elbow surgery on September 19, 2023and is limited to design hitter.

“Anytime you have probably the best baseball player in the world, I think it will help and give some other guys the freedom to play with a little less pressure or a little more freedom,” Buehler said. “He’s been great for the clubhouse and great for our team, so it’s been a cool year to see him at 50-50, just day to day and also the kind of person he is.”

Ohtani was one of the few players on the Dodgers roster to get through the season without a major injury. Nearly every member of the starting rotation spent time on the injured list and the team led the majors in placement on the injured list with 36 and days on the injured list with 2,342.

Among position players, Mookie Betts was out nearly two months due to a broken left hand, and Max Muncy was out nearly half the season due to a right oblique strain. Freddie Freeman will play in the postseason with a sprained right ankle.

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