Ohtani out for All-Star Game; Roberts: "I'm not a politician. I'm a baseball coach."

LOS ANGELES — For the second time in as many summers, the Dodgers are heading to the White House. Before they make that trip, though, they received far more important news for their championship aspirations: Shohei Ohtani's immediate future remains intact, even if it means sacrificing one start.

Ohtani was scratched from his scheduled start Friday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks because of continued irritation in his left knee. While the decision cost fans the chance to watch him pitch and ultimately forced him to withdraw from next week's All-Star Game in Philadelphia, the Dodgers made one thing abundantly clear, this is about protecting October, not July.

"If there's a chance that we could kind of be proactive and get it drained and do whatever we need to do to kind of try to manage it, and along with the rest for the All-Star break, we were going to do that," Dave Roberts said.

The timing is unfortunate.

Ohtani has once again been one of baseball's biggest attractions, both at the plate and on the mound as he continues his return to pitching. Missing the Midsummer Classic means one of the sport's brightest stars won't be part of its biggest summer stage.

But from the Dodgers' perspective, the decision was easy.

Roberts didn't mince words when explaining the severity of the situation.

"If it were a postseason game," Roberts said, "he'd be pitching."

That statement says everything.

The Dodgers are not concerned about Ohtani's availability for the second half. He is scheduled to have his knee drained Sunday after finishing the weekend as the designated hitter against Arizona. Roberts emphasized repeatedly that the procedure is not expected to alter Ohtani's pitching schedule after the All-Star break.

"It's not going to change anything for the second half as far as pitching," Roberts said. "I'm not sure where he's going to be slotted in after the break...that's more opponent-driven."

He later reinforced the point even more directly.

"He will be ready in the second half."

Even offensively, the knee has done little to slow Ohtani. Roberts noted the Dodgers have backed off his stolen-base attempts to avoid aggravating the injury, but his bat has remained as dangerous as ever.

"The way he's swinging the bat, it hasn't really affected performance," Roberts said. "We have certainly curtailed the stealing bases, but he feels good...and he's going to DH in the next three games."

It's another example of how the Dodgers have managed Ohtani throughout the season. Every decision has been made with a singular objective: making sure he's healthy when the games matter most.

Missing one All-Star Game is a small price to pay if it means having a fully healthy Ohtani available every fifth day in October.

The Dodgers have bigger goals than collecting All-Star appearances.

Those same championship expectations will take them somewhere else next week.

For the second consecutive year, the Dodgers will visit the White House after accepting an invitation from President Donald Trump to celebrate their World Series championship. The visit is scheduled for July 23 during an off day before the Dodgers opens a series against the New York Mets.

Originally, the Dodgers had an opportunity to visit during their April trip to Washington, D.C., but scheduling around the Easter holiday prevented both sides from making it work. With a 10-game East Coast road trip later this month, the timing finally aligned.

Roberts, as he has throughout the process, framed the visit as a baseball tradition rather than a political statement.

"I hope that we get this invitation every year because that's the goal, to win a championship, to get this invitation to the White House," Roberts said. "I'm not a politician....I'm a baseball coach."

He added that the scheduling simply took time to coordinate.

"This took a long time to get both sides together, and honestly, like I've always said, my company line, my personal line. I'm doing something that teams have done for decades."

That's exactly how the Dodgers should approach it.

A White House invitation has long been one of the ceremonial traditions afforded to championship teams regardless of the administration in office. Accepting the invitation acknowledges the accomplishment of winning a World Series, not an endorsement of politics.

The Dodgers earned that honor by being the last team standing.

If they accomplish that feat again this October, don't be surprised if Roberts and company find themselves making another trip to Pennsylvania Avenue a year from now.

But before any thoughts of another championship celebration, the Dodgers have a far more pressing priority.

Keeping Ohtani healthy.

Skipping one start and one All-Star Game is disappointing. Losing him for October would be devastating.

The Dodgers understand the difference.