Ohtani headed for an MRI after partially dislocating his left shoulder

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani partially dislocated his left shoulder in a 4-2 victory over the Yankees on Saturday night, putting his availability for the remainder of the World Series in doubt.

Ohtani will undergo an MRI on Sunday, Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said. He noted that the early signs — strength, range of motion — are “certainly positive,” but that the Dodgers won’t know for sure until tests come back.

“We feel encouraged,” Roberts said. “But of course I can’t speculate because we don’t have the scans yet.”

Roberts listed the injury as a “minor” shoulder subluxation, which is a partial dislocation. He said he didn't know if Ohtani had addressed the issue before. That it's his left shoulder – the left-handed hitter's back shoulder – is preferred over his right shoulder, but the Dodgers won't know if that matters until they know the severity.

The Dodgers are 2-0 in the best-of-seven Fall Classic, which continues Monday night at Yankee Stadium. By then they will know more about the health of their best player. But as they packed for an overnight flight to New York, Ohtani's status put a damper on two closely contested games, each coming down to the final at-bat.

“Not just the dugout, but the whole stadium went silent,” Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez said of the moment Ohtani went down. “You know how important Shohei is to this team. Hopefully he’ll be fine and the day off (Sunday) will help him get back on the field on Monday.”

Ohtani was injured while trying to steal second base in the bottom of the seventh inning — a decision he alone could make, Roberts said, after swiping 59 bags in the regular season.

Yankees catcher Austin Wells threw him out, with Ohtani landing awkwardly on his left hand as he slipped. He remained on the ground in obvious pain, holding his left arm, and eventually left the field with Roberts and an athletic trainer. He didn't appear in the lineup again, so the Dodgers never had to replace the designated hitter.

Ohtani did not speak to reporters.

“He’s a pretty smart baserunner,” Roberts said. “With two outs right there to try to get in a World Series game, it was the right play. Baseball just happens.”

If Ohtani misses the rest of the World Series, how prepared are the Dodgers?

“I’m not here,” Roberts said. “I expect him to be there. I expect him to be in the lineup.”

Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Tim was born on Long Island and grew up in Connecticut. He previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the Northeast.