Shohei Ohtani will not make his scheduled pitching start on Friday night, and will not travel to next week’s All-Star Game in Philadelphia, because of what the Dodgers said was “continued irritation in his left knee,” the same knee in which he dealt with inflammation last month.

The news came in a Friday afternoon announcement from the Dodgers, who said Ohtani will continue to serve as the club’s designated hitter during this weekend’s series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, but will then “have some interventions on his knee to put him in the best position for the second half of the season.”

“Unfortunately, due to these events, he will not be able to travel to Philadelphia and participate in the 2026 All-Star Game,” the team said.

Ohtani first dealt with his knee problem a month ago, following a June 10 pitching start against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The following day, Ohtani was removed early from the Dodgers’ game as a DH because of swelling in his knee. He missed another game the next day, as well, before returning to the lineup.

The Dodgers had downplayed the severity of Ohtani’s knee issue since then, even though he had continued to receive treatment on the issue and was seen wearing a sleeve over his knee.

Back in 2019, Ohtani had surgery on the same left knee to address a rare congenital condition called bipartite patella –– when the bones of the kneecap don’t fuse together at birth.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has said he did not believe this year’s knee problem was related to that previous issue.