NEW YORK – Shohei Ohtani’s availability wasn’t all that uncertain in the first place. At least not for his teammates. The Los Angeles Dodgers flew to New York late Saturday night without Ohtani, who remained in LA to get an MRI on his injured left shoulder. But he texted the group chat made up exclusively of Dodgers players as his teammates rode a shuttle to the airport, assuring them he was feeling fine and would be in the lineup for Game 3 of the World Series.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was unaware of that.

“It would have been helpful to see that thread,” said Roberts, who had Ohtani back in his usual opening spot for Monday’s game from Yankee Stadium. “I slept better on Saturday night.”

Ohtani opened Game 3 at 8:17 PM ET opposite Clarke Schmidt.

Ohtani gave the Dodgers a scare when he injured his left shoulder trying to steal second base in the seventh inning of Game 2, a 4-2 victory over the New York Yankees. But Roberts’ nerves were calmed, at least somewhat, when Ohtani’s shoulder — which had been put back into place by the Dodgers training staff — responded favorably to strength and range of motion tests. An MRI the next morning revealed only a mild dislocation, called a subluxation, and no structural damage.

Ohtani then flew alone and met the team late Sunday afternoon at Yankee Stadium, where he received more treatment and went through his batting routine in the batting cage. He hit one ball off the batting tee at 100 mph, a sure sign that he would be in the lineup 24 hours later. Ohtani won’t steal bases in the near future, Roberts said, but his shoulder isn’t expected to limit his traditionally violent swing.

“Obviously there is some discomfort,” Roberts said. “I would say it’s more of a discomfort, and that’s what I was getting at. It’s a subluxation. It depends on an individual’s tolerance. Some of the swings were fine, some of the swings were a little uncomfortable. But I think it’s for me it was more like – We didn’t feel like he was going to be compromised and that he was going to play.”

The Dodgers have experience with these kinds of fears. In Game 7 of the 2020 National League Championship Series, Cody Bellinger injured his right shoulder while celebrating his game-winning home run with Enrique Hernandez. Bellinger played in the subsequent World Series, but struggled mightily over the next two seasons, at least in part due to the shoulder injury he suffered that night.

But Bellinger’s injury was more serious — it was believed he suffered a complete dislocation, requiring offseason surgery — and had a more direct impact on him because it was his front shoulder when it hit. Ohtani, Robert explained, is helped by the fact that he is bothered by his back shoulder, which is more connected to a left-handed hitter’s body and doesn’t impact the swing as much.

Ohtani has been able to go through about “80 percent” of his typical pregame routine, Roberts added, but has also undergone hours of treatment and will have his left shoulder lightly taped for stabilization.

Ohtani was “very adamant” about playing when he arrived at Yankee Stadium earlier Monday afternoon, but he is expected to have restrictions.

“This is a big test for him because it’s definitely uncomfortable,” Roberts said. “Not that there was any doubt he would post. He’s a competitor. He wouldn’t be there.”