Shohei Ohtani suffered a partially dislocated left shoulder during Game 2 of the World Series

Los Angeles — Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani partially dislocated his left shoulder during the seventh inning of Saturday's Game 2 of the World Series against the New York Yankees when he attempted to steal second base.

Ohtani's status for Monday's Game 3 in New York is unclear. Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani “had a slight left shoulder subluxation” and will undergo imaging tests Saturday night or Sunday.

Ohtani clutched his left hand after tagging shortstop Anthony Volpe for the final out of the inning on a feet-first slide. He lay near the bag for a few minutes before the trainers tended to him and left the field.

“We'll know more in the next few days,” Roberts said. “The energy was great. Speed ​​range is good. So we are encouraged. But obviously I can't guess because we haven't got the scans yet. So once we scan, we will know more. Again, with the power, the range of motion is good, that's definitely a positive.”

The Dodgers held on to win 4–2 and take a 2–0 series lead.

The Japanese slugger — and presumptive National League MVP — was 0 for 3 with a walk in the game. He is 1 for 8 in the first two games of the Fall Classic and is coming off a three-home run and 10 RBI in his first postseason in the majors.

“It was difficult. You never like to see the best player in the game get hurt like that,” Yankees superstar Aaron Judge said. “There's trying to steal a base and things like that happen. But hopefully it's all good news. We'll see what happens.”

Ohtani was one of the few players on the Dodgers roster to go through the season without a major injury. The pitching staff has been plagued by injuries, with nearly every member of the starting rotation spending time on the injured list.

Among the position players, Mookie Betts was out for about two months with a broken left hand, and Max Muncie was out for about half the season with a right oblique strain. Freddie Freeman is playing through the postseason with a badly sprained right ankle.

Betts is optimistic about the Dodgers' perseverance when Ohtani is out, especially after the team overcame his injuries during the regular season to record the most wins in the majors and reach the World Series for the fourth time in eight seasons.

“We've got a great group of guys here and I believe we can take care of business for sure. I believe in all of us,” Bates said.

Most of Ohtani's injuries since arriving in the majors in 2018 have been pitching-related, including major operations on his right elbow in 2018 and last year. The two-way phenom did not pitch this year but became the first player in major league history with at least 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in a season.

In September 2019, he underwent surgery on his left knee due to a rare condition. The procedure was on her bilateral patella, or a two-part knee that didn't fuse at birth.

Ohtani missed the 2017 World Baseball Classic after undergoing ankle surgery due to an injury sustained during the 2016 Japan Series.

“When you have a team like that, they pick me up when I'm down. We will try to do the same for him,” Freeman said.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb