Is Shohei Ohtani playing today against Rangers? All you need to know about Dodgers star's availability

Shohei Ohtani is back in the lineup for the Los Angeles Dodgers as they are set to wrap up a three-game series with the Texas Rangers. Ohtani is back in the leadoff spot for the defending World Series champions, just as manager Dave Roberts predicted on Saturday night.

Shohei Ohtani missed the first two games of the series against the Rangers as he was there for the birth of his first child. Dodgers Territory broke the news of his return on social media, and added a fitting caption.

"Shohei Ohtani is back with added dad strength," @LADTerritory captioned the post

The Dodgers placed Ohtani on paternity leave ahead of the series opener on Friday, calling up Eddie Rosario in his place. Shohei Ohtani could have spent three days away from that team, but informed Roberts that he would be in Texas on Sunday.

Los Angeles split the two games without Ohtani in the lineup, dropping a 4-3 decision on Saturday night. In order to add Ohtani back to the active roster, the Dodgers designated Eddie Rosario for assignment.

It has been a relatively slow start for Ohtani in 2025 as he is hitting just .288 at the plate. The two-way sensation does have six home runs, but has driven in just eight runs.

Shohei Ohtani shares emotional message after welcoming first child

Shohei Ohtani is typically one to keep his private life away from social media, but he has started to open up. On Saturday, Ohtani posted the news of the birth of his baby daughter, and also shared a message that read:

"Welcome to the Ohtani Family! I am so grateful to my loving wife who gave birth to our healthy beautiful daughter. To my daughter, thank you for making us very nervous yet super anxious parents. I would also like to thank the Dodgers organization, my teammates, and the fans for their constant support and kind words of encouragement. "I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to all the medical professionals and everyone who dedicated their support to us, up until this wonderful day."

That message was shared as part of an Instagram post where Ohtani only shared a photo of his daughter's tiny feet.

The Dodgers are counting on Ohtani to deliver now that he is back in the lineup, but he should contribute in other ways soon. Ohtani will ultimately be back on the mound as a starting pitcher as well.

Edited by Rajdeep Barman