Ohtani effectively out of the MVP race..

He was ruled unable to pitch for the remainder of the regular season today.
He will not pitch again in the regular season.
His batting average plummeted in August.
His competitor, Armstrong, hit 3 home runs in a single game today.
The prospect of winning the league MVP for the fourth consecutive year
is effectively falling through.
The reason cited for Ohtani's slump
is a knee injury.
Because of his knee, he cannot pitch,
and this is also affecting his batting mechanics.
Fluid is building up in his knee,
and it is said they are draining it via injection.
Of course, if he returns to pitching even by overexerting himself,
it might be possible,
but the Dodgers are not a team where the regular season is the priority;
they are a team where the postseason is what matters,
so their stance is not to push him too hard during the regular season.
Ohtani is also in a position where,
rather than focusing all his condition on the regular season for the league MVP,
he needs to peak his condition for the postseason,
making it difficult to pour everything into the regular season,
so it is said.