The two-way star for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani, will speak to the media on Monday. This will be his first opportunity to speak to the public since Major League Baseball declared on Friday that it will be looking into the gambling incident involving Ohtani and former translator Ippei Mizuhara.
The Dodgers aren’t expected to play until the evening, so it’s unclear when Ohtani will speak to the media. Additionally, it’s unclear if Ohtani will answer questions or if he will merely give a prepared statement.
ESPN released a story last Wednesday in South Korea, just after Los Angeles’ season-opening victory against the San Diego Padres. The narrative claimed that Mizuhara had embezzled money from Ohtani in order to settle enormous gambling debts. The Dodgers and Ohtani’s management tried to distance themselves from Mizuhara, changing details about Ohtani’s awareness of the gambling debts.
While the Dodgers were still away, they let Mizuhara go.
While most people were watching the NCAA Tournament on Friday night, MLB indicated it will be looking into the matter, reversing its earlier statement that there would be none.
Ohtani seemed unconcerned by everything on the field. Ohtani spoke with his previous teammates and teammates prior to Sunday night’s Dodgers vs. Angels game was beaming the whole time.
Ohtani inked the richest MLB free-agent contract in history, a $700 million, 10-year deal with the Dodgers in December.
Ohtani isn’t currently facing a suspension from Major League Baseball, so it’s likely that he will start for the Dodgers on Thursday when they host the St. Louis Cardinals in their return to regular season play at Dodger Stadium.
