Inside The Dodgers

Will Shohei Ohtani Do the Home Run Derby? The Dodgers Star Has His Answer

Maren Angus-Coombs

Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
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Shohei Ohtani has spoken and he will not participate in the Home Run Derby on July 15 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

The Japanese superstar leads the National League and is second in Major League Baseball with 27 home runs.

“There’s been some conversations going on,” Ohtani told reporters through interpreter Will Ireton. “I’m in the middle of my (elbow) rehab progression, so it’s not going to look like I’ll be participating.”

Ohtani is not pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers this season as he continues his recovery from his second Tommy John surgery. He had the procedure in September before signing a 10-year, $700 million free-agent deal with the Dodgers.

“He is going through rehab, and his job, he signed up to play for the Dodgers and to take care of himself the best way he can,” manager Dave Roberts said. “And so I think in any other normal situation, where he wasn’t rehabbing, I think he would love to participate. But then you layer on something that is so unique to anyone, the volume of swings, the intensity of it, 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.”

Ohtani is arguably the game's biggest star. The opposing stadiums are selling his jersey in their pro shop when the Dodgers roll through town. According to Roberts, Ohtani shouldn't have to carry the league when he isn't 100 percent.

“No player moves the needle in baseball more than Shohei, as far as on a global scale,” Roberts said. “So that responsibility, he feels more weight, is real.”

Ohtani is focusing on winning with the Dodgers. He went 3-for-5 with a home run., two runs, and two RBIs against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night. The Dodgers won 6-5.

“The reason he came to the Dodgers was to win a championship,” Roberts said. “And it’s not solely his responsibility to carry Major League Baseball.”

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Maren Angus-Coombs

MAREN ANGUS-COOMBS

Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State and has been a sports writer since 2008. Despite growing up in the South, her sports obsession has always been in Los Angeles. She is currently a staff writer at the LA Sports Report Network.

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