Dodgers’ Ohtani out vs. Mariners due to knee soreness

The Los Angeles Dodgers superstar is out of the lineup for Thursday’s game against the Seattle Mariners due to left knee soreness, manager Dave Roberts told reporters.

While he has continued to play for the Dodgers as a designated hitter, the knee irritation has sidelined him from his starts as a pitcher.

The team wants Ohtani’s knee to feel as good as possible before he begins a throwing program on flat ground or off a mound.

“I feel confident that relatively soon he’s going to start getting out and start ramping up for catch-play and bullpens and getting him back,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told reporters on Wednesday.

That belief is based on the progress Ohtani says he’s felt so far and an MRI he had done on his knee during the all-star break that came back clear. That’s also when he had a lubricant injection in his knee.

Ohtani is 8-2 on the mound with a 1.79 ERA and 95 strikeouts over 85 2/3 innings.

— with files from The Associated Press