Shohei Ohtani left the pitching mound early during Wednesday's game against the Cincinnati Reds. His early exit drew possible injury suspicion as the team's trainer visited Ohtani on the mound. Ohtani missed the entire 2024 season as a pitcher after undergoing elbow surgery the previous year.

In the Dodgers’ 5-2 defeat to the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park, Shohei Ohtani left the mound alongside a trainer in the fourth inning with what the team later said was only cramping — a worrying scene in the moment, quickly alleviated by a seemingly benign injury announcement.

"Dodgers say Shohei Ohtani exited his pitching outing with cramps," Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reported. This was just Ohtani's seventh appearance as a pitcher with the Dodgers after working his way back from surgery.