LOS ANGELES—Shohei Ohtani will not participate in the July 15 Home Run Derby that is part of festivities surrounding Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game despite the Japanese superstar ranking second in the majors with 27 homers for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Ohtani has taken part in the Derby just once, exiting in the first round in 2021 at Coors Field in Denver. This year’s event is at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
“I’m in the middle of my rehab progression, so it’s not going to look like I'll be participating,” Ohtani said through a translator on Tuesday night.
Ohtani is only hitting, not pitching, this season as he recovers from an injured elbow ligament. He had surgery in September before agreeing to a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers in December.
“He signed up here to help us win a championship, and nothing should get in the way of that,” Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts said.
“In any other normal situation where he wasn’t rehabbing, I think he would love to participate,“ Roberts said. ”I know that it’s weighed heavy on him, but I do think the rehab process is something that ultimately makes him feel better about bowing out.”
Ohtani blasted a two-run shot that traveled 433 feet to right-center field in the seventh inning of the Dodgers’ 6–5 win over the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night. He trails only New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who has a major league-leading 32 homers this season.
Roberts said it was more a case of the Derby interfering with Ohtani’s rehab than a concern about him getting hurt.
“When you’re playing every day alongside the rehab, it’s very regimented, so when you have an outlier situation as far as a Home Run Derby, that’s something that no one is prepared for,” he said. “It would just be a real disappointment for not only Shohei, the Dodgers, and also the fans if something were to happen during something like that, which is an exhibition, essentially.”
In the 2021 Derby, Ohtani set a record for the most homers of at least 500 feet with six. He was the first player to be selected for an All-Star Game as both a position player and a pitcher, doing so in both 2021 and 2022 while with the Los Angeles Angels.
“It’s just not his responsibility alone to carry the game of baseball,” Roberts said. “He does it on a daily basis.”
