Shohei Ohtani, playing through knee and biceps injuries, returned to his home stadium in Los Angeles and launched a leadoff home run.

Shohei Ohtani's left knee remains one of the most closely monitored aspects in baseball, but he needed just five pitches today to show his swing is fully intact.

After a stretch of noticeably restricted base running and a halt in his pitching recovery, inflammation in his left knee has become an ongoing concern. But before today's 6-7 loss to the Mariners at Dodger Stadium, manager Dave Roberts made it clear that Ohtani's lower body has not limited his performance at the plate.

"He's always said that running doesn't affect his knee," Roberts said before the game. "And recently, he's been running harder. So that tells me his knee feels much better, and it's not affecting his running or his swing."

Ohtani nearly immediately confirmed his manager's assessment.

In the bottom of the first inning against Mariners right-hander Luis Castillo, Ohtani, batting leadoff, worked a 2-2 count and then drove an 86.5 mph slider deep to center field, giving the Dodgers a quick 1-0 lead. He later added an RBI single and an RBI double.

This home run was Ohtani's 23rd of the season, but also his first in 10 games since the All-Star break, and his 10th career leadoff home run. It was also his 28th leadoff homer as a Dodger, tying Davey Lopes and ranking second in franchise history behind Mookie Betts (32). This swing brought Ohtani's total home runs in his first three seasons with the Dodgers to 132, placing him sixth on the all-time list for a player's first three years with a team, behind Mark McGwire (159, Cardinals), Alex Rodriguez (156, Rangers), Babe Ruth (148, Yankees), Khris Davis (133, Athletics), and Roger Maris (133, Yankees).

However, despite few signs of Ohtani's hitting slowing down, the full picture of the physical challenges he is working to overcome emerged after the game.

Roberts revealed that Ohtani's pitching recovery has been paused not only due to left knee inflammation but also a right biceps issue. The biceps discomfort first appeared in early July, when Ohtani was precautionarily removed from a start against the Padres. During subsequent pitching workouts, his upper body absorbed unplanned stress to compensate for lower-body discomfort, prompting the Dodgers to completely halt his bullpen sessions.

"I think the lower-body issue has indeed affected the upper body and the arm," Roberts said. "To minimize that effect, we stopped pitching workouts, stopped bullpens. Hopefully we can address the knee issue first, and then avoid forcing him to throw hard when his arm isn't at 100 percent."

Despite the setback in pitching recovery, Roberts emphasized that Ohtani's offensive value remains crucial, and noted that these issues have not hindered his performance at the plate. "If we look at him and his value to our team, we need him in the lineup," Roberts said. "Swinging, running, knee, arm—none of that has affected his hitting. After communicating with Shohei and the training staff, that's where we are and what we've decided."

When asked if the Dodgers had discussed having Ohtani give up pitching entirely to preserve his bat for October, Roberts flatly denied that as a current option. "Everything I've heard indicates that is not an option," Roberts said. "I suppose anything is possible, but for me, it's extremely unlikely. If the knee continues to improve and the arm feels better, I expect him to pitch. I'm trying to give him the best chance to stay as healthy as possible so he can help us on both sides."

However, Roberts acknowledged that whether Ohtani can pitch in the postseason will largely depend on timing. "If the World Series started next week, the answer would be no," Roberts said. "He hasn't been on the mound for about three weeks. Whenever he resumes, there will be a process of building up pitch count, and that process now seems to take at least three weeks. I just don't think anyone can foresee what the postseason will look like."

Through interpreter Will Ireton, Ohtani confirmed that both his knee and biceps are not at 100 percent, and mentioned that he received a knee injection around the All-Star break. With his pitching recovery plan on hold, Ohtani stated clearly that his current focus remains on contributing as a hitter.

"The knee is improving, and the goal is to get back to 100 percent," Ohtani said. "But I do need to focus on the hitting and fielding aspects. It's still July; I think by August or September, things might be different."

Ohtani added that any potential long-term decisions or treatment plans will likely be considered only after the Dodgers' postseason run is completely over.