Shohei Ohtani is ‘fine’ after X-rays following hit-by-pitch reveal no structural damage

Shohei Ohtani needed X-rays after being hit in the arm by a pitch on Sunday, but he is “doing fine,” according to Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.

The hit occurred in the eighth inning of Los Angeles’ 3-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays, drawing boos from a Dodgers home crowd concerned about the health of the NL MVP favorite.

With Ohtani in front, Richard Lovelady threw a 92 mph sinker inside on a 2-1 pitch, and the pitch hit Ohtani on the inside of his left wrist. Ohtani clutched his wrist in obvious pain as he ran down the first-base line.

After umpires awarded Ohtani first base following the pitch, the pitcher asked the coaches to leave and opted to stay in the game. One pitch later, Mookie Betts hit a home run to left field that scored Ohtani and gave the Dodgers a 3-1 lead that stood as their last.

Ohtani had no other plate appearance scheduled.

After the game, Roberts provided an update on Ohtani’s condition while speaking to reporters.

“Ohtani is doing fine,” Roberts said. “I think they ran some tests on him and they told me they came back negative. He’s doing fine.”

The Dodgers have been plagued by injuries this season, including one that fractured Betts’ left hand and sidelined him for nearly two months. With 31 games remaining in the regular season and the postseason starting in five weeks, a broken wrist for Ohtani could have been a devastating blow to the Dodgers’ hopes of winning the World Series.

Fortunately for Ohtani and the Dodgers, Sunday’s incident appeared to be just a scare.

“It’s very scary,” Roberts said. “You always hold your breath. We experienced that with Mookie a few months ago. And obviously with Shohei, when a ball goes in.”

“Luckily, it hit him in the forearm. But when you start talking about little bones in the hand and things like that, four to six weeks at this time of year, that’s scary.”