Shohei Ohtani returned to the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup on June 13, 2026, after being sidelined due to inflammation in his left knee. He hit a leadoff home run against the Chicago White Sox, his 14th of the 2026 season and 29th of his career, according to abcnews.com. The home run traveled 409 feet to right field with an exit velocity of 109.6 mph, abcnews.com reported. Ohtani also walked three times and scored twice in the Dodgers' 7-1 victory, according to nbclosangeles.com.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani was taken out of the game against the Pirates on June 12, 2026, for precautionary reasons, according to abcnews.com. Ohtani said through a translator that he felt good waking up and felt good on June 13, 2026, and was confident he would be healthy for the next game, according to nbclosangeles.com.

Ohtani had surgery on his left knee in September 2019, according to nbclosangeles.com.

On June 17, 2026, Ohtani pitched six innings against the Tampa Bay Rays, allowing seven hits, four runs (four earned), five strikeouts, and one walk, according to cbssports.com. His ERA rose from 0.74 to 1.47 after the start, cbssports.com reported. His 1.47 ERA was the second-lowest in the majors among pitchers with at least 50 innings pitched, according to cbssports.com.

The Rockies scored their only run in the June 15, 2026, game against the Dodgers after a walk, a hit-by-pitch, and two fielder’s choices, according to espn.com.