Dodgers say Shohei Ohtani will play in World Series Game 3 despite shoulder injury | Shohei Ohtani

The Los Angeles Dodgers say Shohei Ohtani will be able to play when the World Series heads to New York on Monday.

Ohtani partially dislocated his left shoulder sliding into second base during the Dodgers’ win in LA on Saturday night, putting them up 2-0 in the series. There were fears that the Japanese star’s season could be over, but on Sunday, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told ESPN that Ohtani will be available for Monday’s Game 3 at Yankee Stadium.

“He’s in a great spot. He’ll play tomorrow,” Roberts told ESPN’s Karl Ravech.

Ohtani had a brilliant regular season and became the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season. He’s had a good but not outstanding postseason so far by his lofty standards, posting an .863 OPS, below his normal career average of .945. He is 1 for 8 in the first two games of the World Series. Ohtani had been one of the few players on the Dodgers roster to make it through the season without a major injury. The pitching staff has been plagued by injuries, and nearly every member of the starting rotation has spent time on the injured list.

Los Angeles is two wins away from winning the best-of-seven series, which would secure their second championship in five years.