Shohei Ohtani On The IL

Welp, the obvious was finally actioned by the Dodgers: Shohei Ohtani hits the IL for a 15-day stint.

LOS ANGELES -- After nearly a week of kicking the can on the ailing Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers opted to place their superstar on the injured list to recover from his lingering left knee and right biceps injuries. To replace him, they're getting an infusion of youth as they gear up for what they hope will be another deep postseason run.

The Dodgers will call up outfielder Josue De Paula, MLB Pipeline's No. 6 overall prospect, to make his big league debut on Friday in Miami, manager Dave Roberts said after Wednesday night's 14-1 win over the Reds at Dodger Stadium. De Paula will get some runway at designated hitter while Ohtani is on the 15-day IL, as well as some reps in the corner-outfield spots.

Ohtani will not travel to Miami or Cincinnati (this next road trip). With the backdating of the IL stint, he will be eligible to return on Sept 23, leaving five games left before the end of the regular season for Ohtani to get battle-ready.

Yikes.