Iris Rivas contributed to this report.
Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani is chasing a Cy Young Award, the last major honor that’s eluded him, but a common ailment could prevent this historic achievement.
In his past couple of pitching starts, Ohtani has been battling a blister on his right middle finger, a common ailment for pitchers.
The blister was so irritated on Wednesday that Ohtani was visibly bleeding onto his uniform.
Bisters can be painful and annoying, but for a pitcher like Ohtani, the issue is a bit more complicated.
Treating blisters for pitchers is tricky
Pitchers heavily depend upon their fingers and grips to do their job, meaning this isn’t a blister you could just put a bandage on and go about your day.
The very friction that lets pitchers put force and spin on the ball is what causes the blister.
And given that Ohtani is already bleeding from the blister, his best course of action could be to take some starts off.
Earlier this year, Nick Lodolo of the Cincinnati Reds had to be put on the injured list to deal with a blister on his index finger, one of several such IL placements due to pitchers’ blisters.
Would Shohei Ohtani be put on the IL for a blister?
Given that Ohtani hits as well as pitches, it seems unlikely that the Dodgers would put him on the IL for a blister, as he still can hit effectively.
But it is possible that he will miss some starts on the mound, and his innings pitched are already at a premium given the Dodgers’ six-man rotation.
Without more time on the mound, he won’t qualify for league-wide leaderboards, something that certainly would hurt his case for the Cy Young.
And unfortunately, given the presence of blood, it seems likely that Ohtani would have to miss some pitching time, according to “The American Journal of Orthopedics.”
“These instances generally lead to lost time on the field,” wrote Dr. Andrew McNamara, Scott Ensell and Dr. Timothy D. Farley. “It is not uncommon that the pitcher requires placement on the 15-day DL.”