What happened to Shohei Ohtani’s finger? Dodgers superstar left with bloodied hand as blister injury lingers

Shohei Ohtani is well on his way to another All-Star selection, if not another NL MVP award — and he's arguably having his best two-way season ever so far in 2026.

The Los Angeles Dodgers star hasn't just turned in an OPS north of .900 with 15 home runs in mid-June; he's also been one of the best pitchers in baseball, allowing runs at a minuscule rate as one candidate in a loaded NL Cy Young Award race.

However, as a pitcher, Ohtani has appeared slightly more vulnerable recently, potentially due to an ongoing finger issue. During his start against the Rays on Wednesday, in fact, blood could be seen on his throwing hand.

Here's what to know about Ohtani's finger injury.

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What happened to Shohei Ohtani’s finger?

Ohtani has been dealing with a blister on his throwing hand for around a month, something both he and manager Dave Roberts have downplayed as anything serious.

However, more recently, the injury has appeared to be more significantly impacting the Dodgers star. Notably, Ohtani's worst start of the season came against the Pirates on June 10, when he allowed three runs — still rock-solid in grander context — but the blister could be factoring into his pitching.

Then came Wednesday's start against Tampa Bay, where Ohtani's finger was bloody as he walked off the mound. He continued to pitch through any pain, but allowed a season-high four runs in six innings.

Shohei Ohtani bloody finger video

Ohtani continued to pitch through a bloody middle finger on his throwing hand against the Rays. 

It was most apparent when he was walking off the mound:

Shohei's bloody finger. pic.twitter.com/IZzhwHQKHa

Here's another close-up of the finger:

Shohei Ohtani blister

Ohtani's blister isn't anything new — he's been dealing with the issue for a few weeks. But until more recently, it didn't appear to have much of an impact on his ability to throw a baseball.

“No issues with the blisters," Ohtani said last week, per Dodgers on SI. "I don’t think it’s been affecting my performance."

Roberts said the same earlier in June.

“There is a little blister. Everyone saw him picking at it a little bit, but I didn’t hear too much about it after the game,” Roberts previously said, per Dodgers on SI. “I don’t expect it to affect him going forward.”

However, with the bloody finger against the Rays, and Ohtani now allowing seven runs between two starts, the Dodgers may choose to take more precaution with their star moving forward.

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