Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani will play in Game 3 of the World Series on Monday, but it appears his shoulder is still bothering him.

Game 3 was the first home game of the series for the New York Yankees, so the starting lineups were publicly announced before first pitch. And Ohtani appeared to be wearing a sling to stabilize his left arm and shoulder area as he ran out of the dugout after his name was called:

While Dodgers fans were certainly worried, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported Monday that Ohtani texted a group of teammates and assured them he was fine and would likely play in Monday’s game.

That was the case as he started and led the way for Los Angeles in the first road game of the World Series.

Ohtani’s health was a major storyline early in his first season with the Dodgers, as he did not pitch throughout the season following offseason elbow surgery. The two-way star is typically one of the league’s best pitchers and hitters, but was not healthy enough to take the mound in 2024.

He was still remarkably durable, playing a career-best 159 games.

Not only did the two-time MVP play in the highest number of games of his career, he thrived in them, hitting .310/.390/.646 with 54 home runs, 130 RBI and 59 stolen bases. He will likely take home the third MVP of his illustrious career.

If everything goes well for his team as the Fall Classic progresses, he will also take home a World Series trophy.