Japanese starShohei Ohtani was given permission to be absent from the Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend as he was placed on the paternity list to accompany his wife Mamiko Tanaka, who was about to give birth.
Ohtani and Tanaka had a baby girl on Saturday in Southern California, and the Japanese star did not want to take more days off and on Sunday will return to the Dodgers lineup for the third game of the series against the Texas Rangers, after being left lying with a two-run homer by Adolis Garcia, to win 4-3 and deprive rookie Roki Sasaki of what was shaping up to be his first victory in the Major Leagues, after a six-inning effort.
“I am very grateful to my beloved wife who gave birth to our healthy and beautiful daughter,” Ohtani posted on his Instagram account, adding: “To my daughter, thank you for making us feel like very nervous and at the same time super anxious parents.”
For his return on Sunday, Ohtani did not speak to the media before the game and will take his usual spot as leadoff hitter.
Dave Roberts praises Ohtani’s commitment
Manager Dave Roberts revealed that Ohtani reported to the Dodgers in Texas on Saturday night.
“To come back here and be part of this certainly shows his ability to balance life and work,” Roberts said. “It’s good to have him back and, most importantly, I’m glad that he and Mamiko have a healthy baby girl.”
In addition, Roberts believes that with the recent fatherhood, he hopes that Ohtani will have exit velocities with the strength of a father: “The strength of a father is real… It’s amazing how hard Shohei hits the ball now. So now that he’s a father, we might see exit velocities of 120.”
Ohtani’s return ends Eddie Rosario experiment
The Dodgers called up Eddie Rosario from the Minor Leagues to replace Ohtani during the series against the Rangers, a player who already had history with the team, but not as an ally, but as a rival, after being the MVP of the 2021 National League Championship Series, when he was with the Atlanta Braves
In the last four seasons, Rosario played for the Braves, the Washington Nationals and the Cleveland Guardians, his hitting power has been in decline, and after this adventure with the Dodgers, he could be claimed off waivers to return to Atlanta, as an option while Ronald Acuna Jr. recovers from his injury.
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