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NEW YORK -- Shohei Ohtani won't make his next scheduled start on the mound because of left knee irritation and isn't expected back in the Los Angeles Dodgers' rotation for a while.
The two-way superstar received a lubricant injection in the knee just before the All-Star break last week and had been expected to pitch Wednesday in Philadelphia against the Phillies.
Ohtani, however, still didn't feel 100% while playing catch this weekend, so he and the Dodgers decided not to even test the knee with a bullpen session.
The four-time MVP hasn't pitched since July 3, when he threw a season-high 110 pitches over six innings in a no-decision against San Diego. Now, it's unclear when he'll return to the mound.
"I would say that it's going to be some time," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday before his team's doubleheader against the New York Yankees. "It's not going to be a day-to-day thing."
Roberts reiterated that Ohtani feels no knee pain when hitting. The slugger went 2 for 5 with two RBIs and a run during an 8-2 victory in the opener Sunday, and was back in the leadoff spot as the designated hitter for the nightcap.
"We just want to continue to give it the best chance to kind of get in a good spot," Roberts said. "As he said, as we feel, it's the pitching and the torque on landing on that leg. That kind of gets it upset. So I think that hitting doesn't do that. So I think that for us, we're trying to give it as much time as possible."
The two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers began the day with the best record in the majors at 62-36 and a 12-game lead in the NL West. Roberts indicated that's playing into the team's approach with Ohtani, who skipped the All-Star Game last Tuesday in Philadelphia to treat and rest his balky knee.
The right-hander has been dealing with the ailment for more than a month. He had an outing cut short against Pittsburgh on June 11 because of inflammation in the knee.
Marlins sign slugger
HANAMAKI, Japan -- Japanese slugger Rintaro Sasaki will sign with the Miami Marlins and forgo a professional career in his home country.
The Marlins selected Sasaki out of Stanford in the eighth round of Major League Baseball's amateur draft last week, but the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks also selected him in the first round of the Nippon Professional Baseball draft, setting up a difficult decision.
Sasaki played under Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani's father, Toru, and is Japan's all-time high school home run leader with 140.
He made waves out of high school, opting out of the Nippon league's draft to play at Stanford. The 21-year-old first baseman played two seasons at Stanford, hitting .262 with 16 homers and 47 RBIs as a sophomore last year.
13 in a row
BOSTON -- Willson Contreras hit a two-run homer, Sonny Gray gave up one run and five hits over six innings, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-1 for their 13th win in a row.
The streak is tied for the second-best in franchise history. The franchise's longest was 15 games in June 1946. Gray struck out five and issued four walks in his ninth consecutive quality start.
He improved to 12-1 and has not allowed more than three runs since April 14. Victor Mesa Jr. hit an inside-the-park home run for the Rays. Rays starter Shane McClanahan allowed six runs, four earned, on five hits.
Boston will go after 14 in a row at home tonight when it welcomes the Baltimore Orioles to town. The Orioles have won seven games in a row after their win on Sunday against the Houston Astros.