Shohei Ohtani returned to the Dodgers’ lineup Saturday, after the two-way star became a two-time dad.
Ohtani had been away from the team since Friday, taking a paternity leave for the second time in the last two years as his wife, Mamiko, gave birth to the couple’s second child.
Manager Dave Roberts had said he only “found out very recently” that Ohtani was expecting another kid. However, the team had also known entering this weekend that Ohtani wouldn’t be away for long, deciding to not even put him on the official paternity list and call up another player in his brief absence.
The new baby arrives in what was already a busy point in Ohtani’s full-time two-way season. In recent weeks, the four-time MVP has been battling both a knee issue and a blister, though had missed only one game as a hitter and made his most recent pitching start as scheduled last Wednesday.
Ohtani is already on track for a fifth MVP award, thanks to his .296 batting average, 15 home runs and 42 RBIs as a hitter, plus his 7-2 record and 1.47 ERA as a pitcher.
Now, as he gets set to rejoin the club, the 31-year-old has another sentimental family moment to celebrate, as well.