The Los Angeles Dodgers organization continues to manage the productive capacity of its star players, with Shohei Ohtani away on paternity leave and Will Smith sidelined by a neck injury. The team expects Ohtani to return this weekend, opting not to place him on Major League Baseball’s paternity list, a decision that ensures his swift re-entry into the lineup. This management decision prioritizes the continuous deployment of player labor for the team's operational schedule.
Manager Dave Roberts stated he hoped Ohtani would return Saturday, noting he had not spoken to the player directly. Roberts had found out "very recently" that Ohtani was expecting another child, adding, "Keeping his privacy," with a smile. The team’s lineup for Friday’s series opener was released less than an hour before gametime, with Ryan Ward listed as the designated hitter. Three hours prior, Roberts had attributed the delayed lineup to "working out some things with some position players," making no mention of Ohtani's personal circumstances.
Ohtani, who will turn 32 on July 5, and his 29-year-old wife, Mamiko Tanaka, became first-time parents 1 year ago in April 2025 with the birth of their daughter. Ohtani first announced the couple was expecting 1 year and 6 months ago in December 2024 via social media. The player is known for his privacy, having never publicly revealed his daughter’s name and carefully avoiding showing her face in the rare family photos posted online, reflecting a struggle to maintain personal autonomy against the public demands of professional sports.
The Commodification of Labor
Dodgers catcher Will Smith, a three-time All-Star, remains on the injured list due to a neck injury. Smith was initially due to return this week, but Manager Roberts confirmed he would not be activated this weekend and might not travel with the team on its road trip next week, which begins Monday in Minnesota. The organization's focus remains on Smith's return to the field, a critical component of its on-field production.
Roberts reported that Smith had undergone a scan and was scheduled to receive an injection. The stated purpose of this medical intervention was "to kind of minimize the sensation." This approach aims to manage the symptoms of injury rather than necessarily addressing the root cause, facilitating a quicker return to labor for the team.
Management's Priorities
Manager Roberts described Smith’s current condition, stating, "He feels OK, not great." The manager further elaborated on the organizational objective, asserting, "We’re just trying to make sure that we don’t have a setback when he comes back." This statement underscores the primary concern of management: preventing any interruption to the player's productive capacity once he is reintegrated into the team's operations.
Smith has continued to engage in "baseball activities," including a full workout earlier this week. The continuation of these activities, even while injured, demonstrates the constant pressure on players to maintain their physical readiness for the demands of the sport, regardless of their personal health status. The organization's public statements and operational decisions consistently reflect a prioritization of player availability and performance for the generation of team revenue.
The management's handling of both Ohtani's paternity and Smith's injury illustrates the underlying economic logic of professional sports. Players, despite their celebrity status, function as highly valuable labor whose personal lives and physical well-being are managed to ensure maximum output for the capital represented by the team ownership. The team's choice to bypass the paternity list for Ohtani and the strategic medical interventions for Smith reveal a system designed to minimize downtime and maximize the extraction of value from player labor.