Ohtani day-to-day after being tomahawk chopped
Dodgers star shrugs off bullpen chaos: “That’s Braves country.”
ATLANTA — Shohei Ohtani has been listed as day-to-day after what the Dodgers described as “excessively literal crowd participation,” according to an injury report issued following the latest bullpen disturbance in Atlanta.
Ohtani appeared remarkably relaxed about the incident, arriving at his postgame interview with an ice pack and the expression of a man who had read the stadium’s terms and conditions.
“Everybody got chopped,” he said. “But hey, that’s Braves country.”
The explanation reportedly satisfied nobody in the Dodgers’ medical department, which had been hoping for a description of symptoms rather than a tourism slogan.
“We asked where it hurt,” one trainer said. “He pointed at a map of Georgia.”
Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts called the situation frustrating, particularly because the team’s advance scouting report had listed the chop under atmosphere rather than contact sports.
“They found our hotel and chopped all night,” Roberts said in the briefing. “At some point you have to ask whether the complimentary breakfast is worth it.”
Atlanta officials maintained that all promotional tomahawks were made of foam and suggested the Dodgers may simply have encountered “playoff-density foam.” The club offered Ohtani a souvenir cup, a stadium voucher and a brochure titled So You’ve Been Welcomed to Braves Country.
Asked whether he would be available for the next game, Ohtani said he expected to return as soon as doctors cleared him to participate in regional traditions.
MLB has opened a review into whether the injury should be classified as a hit-by-pitch, fan interference or a destination-related setback. Commissioner Rob Manfred’s office said a final ruling would arrive after the postseason, when it could no longer affect anything.
For now, the Dodgers have added protective netting to the bullpen and changed their hotel reservation to the name “Definitely Not the Dodgers.”
Ohtani remained optimistic. “Beautiful ballpark,” he said. “Very hands-on fan experience.”
