Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani will play for the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium on Monday night despite a partially dislocated left shoulder, according to manager Dave Roberts.

Ohtani planned to take a few swings during the Dodgers' practice Sunday night at Yankee Stadium. Roberts said pain tolerance is the key factor.

“I just can’t imagine him not playing Game 3,” Roberts said. “If he feels well enough to go, then I don’t see any reason why he shouldn’t be in there.”

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

Ohtani partially dislocated his left shoulder and slid into second base when he was caught stealing to end the seventh inning of Saturday night's 4-2 win in Game 2 in Los Angeles.

Seeking their eighth title and second in five years, the Dodgers lead 2-0 in the best-of-seven series.

Roberts said Saturday night that Ohtani “had a mild left shoulder subluxation” and would undergo an imaging test either Saturday night or Sunday.

Ohtani clutched his left forearm after being sent out on a foot-first slide by shortstop Anthony Volpe in the seventh. He lay near the sack for a few minutes before being attended to by athletic trainers and leaving the field.

Roberts said after the game that he was encouraged that Ohtani had good shoulder strength and mobility. Roberts said he felt better Sunday than Saturday.

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 batting .260 with three homers and 10 RBIs in his first postseason in the majors.

Ohtani was one of the few players on the Dodgers roster who made it through the season without a major injury. Nearly every member of the starting lineup spent time on the injured list and the team led the majors with 36 spots on the injured list and with 2,342 days on the injured list.

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

Ohani hit .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-way star has not pitched this season while recovering from elbow surgery on September 19, 2023.

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