LOS ANGELES – It’s actually too early to panic, too early to form an opinion. If the initial diagnosis the Los Angeles Dodgers made about Shohei Ohtani turns out to be correct, he could very well be in the lineup for Game 3 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium on Monday night.

Still, the injury Ohtani suffered to his left shoulder on Saturday night put a dampener on Dodger Stadium, quieting the raucous crowd and creating an unease rarely experienced by a team that led the Series by two games to none.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani has a subluxation, a condition that occurs when the ball at the top of the upper arm bone only partially dislocates, instead of completely, which happens during a dislocation.

If that’s all, it might not be a problem, especially in the short term. Roberts said Ohtani’s strength was great and his range of motion good. But he cautioned that the Dodgers won’t know more until Ohtani undergoes an MRI. Smart fans understand that no diagnosis matters until the doctors check the scans. And given the Dodgers’ history with injuries, no one should assume Ohtani will be leading the line at Yankee Stadium on Monday night.

Ohtani’s absence for even one game would wipe out a series built on stars, from the likely MVPs, Ohtani and Aaron Judge, to the superstar right fielders, Mookie Betts and Juan Soto, to another likely Hall of Famer, Freddie Freeman, and a potential, Giancarlo Stanton. The Series also features the two highest paid pitchers overall, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Gerrit Cole. Yamamoto, who made his World Series debut on Saturday night, allowed just one hit in 6 1/3 innings, a home run to Soto.

However, Ohtani is at the center of it all. He suffered his injury Saturday night while sliding into second base on an attempted steal in the seventh inning, with the Dodgers ahead, 4-1. He was clearly in pain, rolled on the sand, slowly got to his feet and before an athletic trainer helped him walk off the field, he propped up his left arm.

Ohtani slowly gets to his feet after trying to steal second place. pic.twitter.com/T3Af5GRaiw

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 27, 2024

For a recent comparison, take a look at Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres, who reportedly suffered at least four subluxations in 2021. Tatis initially did not undergo surgery because he believed his shoulder was stable. But he changed course in September 2022 while serving an 80-match ban for using a banned performance-enhancing drug. Doctors repaired the labrum in his left shoulder. Tatis recovered by the time he was reinstated in April 2023. And that season he played in 141 games.

Could Ohtani ultimately suffer the same fate? Maybe if he endures repeated subluxations. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, treatment for shoulder instability includes both non-operative and surgical options. Ohtani is of course still recovering from major surgery on his right elbow, with the expectation that he will pitch again in 2025. But even after stealing 59 bases this season as a full-time design hitter, he will almost certainly limit his attempts at some point. he returns to the mound, reducing the wear and tear on his body.

If Ohtani misses time during the Series, the Dodgers can adjust by moving Betts to the leadoff spot and making Freeman their DH. Max Muncy could move from third base to first base and Kiké Hernández could play third. Roberts could round out his infield with a combination of Gavin Lux, Tommy Edman and Miguel Rojas, with Andy Pages taking center stage on the days Edman replaces Rojas on short notice.

Not a bad collection of players, even if Freeman is playing with a severely sprained right ankle and Rojas will need sports hernia surgery this offseason. Ohtani went just 1-for-8 in the first two games of the Series, his lone hit a ringing double off Yankees reliever Tommy Kahnle in Game 1. But he’s clearly a vital part of the Dodgers’ offense.

After striking out 10 times in 22 at-bats in the Division Series, Ohtani broke out in the National League Championship Series, hitting .364 with a 1.185 OPS. With runners in scoring position, he was an absolute terror in the postseason, going 15-for-22 in those situations.

With or without Ohtani, the Dodgers are in a great position. The only way they’ll lose the Series is if they drop four of the next five games — not out of the question with the Series shifting to New York for Games 3, 4 and 5 (if necessary), but not all that likely either. . The Yankees have their own problems, most notably the performance of likely MVP Aaron Judge, who is hitting .150 in the postseason with a .605 OPS and 19 strikeouts in 50 at-bats.

The Dodgers being the Dodgers, they would use any absence of Ohtani as a rallying point. Betts was out almost two months this season due to a broken left hand. Freeman was away for 10 days while his son, Max, 3, dealt with Guillain-Barré syndrome, later missing time with a broken finger and his ankle problem. And lest we forget, the Dodgers also placed twelve different starting pitchers on the injured list.

No one should paint this team as an underdog, not when its estimated $325 million payroll is second only to the New York Mets. The Dodgers used their financial power to build extraordinary depth. So even if they are somewhat depleted, their roster is strong enough to put the club within two wins of its first World Series title since 2020, and its first in a full season in 1988.

Ohtani’s continued presence would further boost the Dodgers’ chances, and his return for Game 3 seemed entirely possible, at least as Roberts spoke. By now we’ve all learned that underestimating Ohtani is foolish. Seriously, would anyone be surprised if he returned to hit the Series-clinching home run, then defied the Dodgers’ insistence that he not pitch again this season by earning the Series-clinching save?

Okay, that’s a bit much to ask. Let’s hope Ohtani plays again in the Series. Every time he misses, baseball’s greatest spectacle in years will diminish. And as his past injuries have shown, every day he is away is a bad day for the sport.

(Top photo of Shohei Ohtani leaving the field in Game 2: Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)