NEW YORK – Concerns seemed to have faded away and Los Angeles Dodgers players were all smiles as they practiced at Yankee Stadium Game 3 of the World Series: Shohei Ohtani was ready to play Monday night despite a partially dislocated left shoulder.

Ohtani was injured sliding into second base when he was caught stealing to end the seventh inning. 4-2 win on Saturday night against the New York Yankees in Game 2 in Los Angeles.

Fans and teammates were wondering if Sho would be able to participate this week.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has stated that Ohtani’s presence in the batting order is close to a sure thing.

“I don’t see him not playing Game 3,” Roberts said before practice Sunday night. “If he feels well enough to go, I don’t see any reason why he shouldn’t be there.”

Ohtani did not travel to New York with the team for the viewing. He was on a separate flight.

“As far as test results, we have doctors everywhere trying. I don’t have them,” Roberts said. “According to the training staff, it’s more my going, Shohei feeling good this morning, range of motion and strength.”

Ohtani needed to arrive at the ballpark in time for practice, which started at 6 p.m. EDT. Roberts said Ohtani has been dry-batting since his injury and will hit and practice indoor batting practice.

“This will mean a lot,” the manager said. “He still needs to keep training and swinging the bat, but he still feels better today than yesterday and our assumption is that tomorrow will feel better than today.”

Roberts said the injury caused pain but “that’s everyone’s tolerance.”

“I don’t see him being put in danger,” he added. “This is the left shoulder, which is the back shoulder. So if he can go, I don’t see how it’s going to affect his batting.”

The Dodgers, who are aiming for their eighth title and second in five years, are up 2-0 in the best-of-seven series. Walker Buehler starts Game 3 for Los Angeles against Clarke Schmidt.

“If he can play, if he’s willing to play, he’ll play,” Roberts said of Ohtani. “Schmidt will know Shohei is in the box, so that means everything.”

Ohtani clutched his left forearm after being tagged out by shortstop Anthony Volpe on a first-down slide in the seventh inning. He lay next to the bag for a few minutes before being attended to by athletic trainers and leaving the field.

The arguably NL MVP was 0-for-3 in Game 2. He was 1-for-8 in the first two games of the Fall Classic and batted .260 with three home runs and 10 RBIs in his first postseason in the major.

A. two-time AL MVP Ohtani broke the record by joining the Dodgers last December from the Los Angeles Angels $700 million, 10-year contract.

Ohtani, 30, hit .310 with 54 homers, 130 RBIs and 59 stolen bases, becoming the first player with the fewest bases. 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in one season. The two-way star did not pitch this season while he was recovering. Elbow surgery on September 19, 2023and was limited to the designated hitter.

“When you have arguably the best baseball player in the world, I think it will help and free up some of the other players to play with a little less pressure or a little more freedom,” Buehler said. “He’s been great for the clubhouse and he’s been great for our team, so it’s been a great year watching him go 50-50, just like every day, and what a person he is.”

Ohtani was one of the few players on the Dodgers roster to make it through the season without suffering a major injury. Nearly every member of the starting rotation spent time on the injured list, and the team ranked first on the injured list with 36 days and 2,342 days on the injured list.

Among position players, Mookie Betts was sidelined for nearly two months with a broken left hand and Max Muncy was sidelined for nearly half the season with a right oblique injury. Freddie Freeman is playing in the playoffs with a right ankle sprain.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb