An old issue is rearing its ugly head again for Shohei Ohtani.
The Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani was forced to exit Thursday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates due to an injury. During the seventh inning at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pa., Ohtani was pinch hit for by Dodgers teammate Santiago Espinal (after going 2-for-2 with a home runs and two walks up to that point).
The Dodgers later shared a concerning update on Ohtani. They said that the two-way sensation was removed due to left knee inflammation.
That set off plenty of alarm bells for those who are familiar with Ohtani’s history. Ever since childhood, Ohtani has dealt with a bipartite patella in his left knee — a congenital condition where the kneecap fails to fuse into a single bone and is instead comprised of two separate ones. Ohtani has managed flare-ups of the knee throughout his career, the most concerning of which was an issue back in 2019 with the Los Angeles Angels that needed season-ending surgery.
Dodgers writer Nelson Espinal shared the full context on Ohtani’s condition.
Important context on Shohei:
— Nelson Espinal (@nelson__espinal) June 12, 2026
Back in 2019, he had surgery on his left knee to address bipartite patella, which was causing discomfort.
He was given a 10-12 week timeline.
Ohtani has dealt with bipartite patella since birth, which is a condition that means his knee is made up… pic.twitter.com/za8gwh1LRr
Ohtani has mostly been a picture of health so far this season, appearing in 63 of the Dodgers’ first 69 games as a hitter and also returning to a full and complete workload as a starting pitcher. But now the team has some serious concern with their resident unicorn, especially since they have already been relatively conservative with Ohtani’s workload throughout the year.
