LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani is a father again.
The Los Angeles Dodgers superstar posted the news of his latest addition on his Instagram account Saturday.
“We are again overjoyed to experience this wonderful day in our lives together. Thank you for being born safely,” read a message from Ohtani and his wife, Mamiko Tanaka. They also thanked supporters.
The post showed an image of a baby's hands and feet in a blue blanket suggesting that Ohtani has a son to go with his daughter who was born in April 2025. Tucked in the baby's arms was a tiny stuffed version of Ohtani's beloved dog, Decoy, who also got his own photo at the bottom of the post.
The news that Ohtani was about to have a second child came out of nowhere Friday. He wasn't in the Dodgers' lineup, which was posted much later than usual, after the team said he was “away from the team on paternity.”
The absence of the two-way star did not last long. Ohtani was back in the lineup in the leadoff spot for Saturday's game against the Orioles. He went 1 for4 at the plate with a home run to leadoff the ninth inning as the Dodgers' late rally fell short in a 3-2 defeat.
Ohtani also remains in line to make his next start from the mound Wednesday at Minnesota, manager Dave Roberts said.
“I’m assuming the baby is healthy, mom is healthy,” said Roberts, who had not yet had a chance to catch up with Ohtani a few hours before Saturday's game.
The famously private Ohtani has never publicly revealed his daughter's name and has carefully avoided showing her face in the rare family photos he posts to his social media.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
